Dubai: A massive fire has reportedly broken out in Kuwait City’s Shaikh Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Centre in Kuwait, also known as the Kuwait Opera House, according to media reports and social media postings.
No human casualties or injuries were reported, Kuwait News Agency said.
صور جوية حصرية خاصة بـ #العربية لحريق #مركز_جابر_الثقافي في #الكويت pic.twitter.com/38dAnaDtMm
— قناة العربية (@AlArabiya) 6 February 2017
Crews from the Kuwait Fire Service Directorate were able to control and put out the blaze, the official news agency added.
Sources told Kuwaiti daily Al Qabas that the blaze started at the engineers' room and that the fire brigades were able to put out the fire.
The Interior Ministry confirmed no casualties resulted from the blaze, the daily added on its website.
حريق ضخم في دار #الأوبرا_الكويتية#شاهد_سكايhttps://t.co/QueKjslDdo pic.twitter.com/P63NTF0h0y— Sky News Arabia (@skynewsarabia) February 6, 2017
Footage posted online showed plumes of black smoke billowing out of the centre that could be seen from a distance.
The landmark building was opened by the emir, Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah in October 2016 amid fanfare and fireworks. The centre, which includes a 2,000 seat opera house, reportedly cost $775m to build.
Top Kuwaiti singers, artists and performers and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli performed at the launch of the sprawling 214,000 square meters centre located in the heart of the capital and comprising four buildings covered with thousands of square meters of titanium shell, a theatre centre, a music centre, a conference centre and a library for historical documents.
خطاكم السوء يا أهل #الكويت.. نسأل الله السلامة والله خير حافظ ❤️ #حريق_دار_الاوبرا pic.twitter.com/8H2St7NK9O
— Balqees (@BalqeesFathi) 6 February 2017
The cultural centre includes a performing arts centre, music centre, concert halls, cinemas, conference centre, historical documents centre as well as libraries, parks, and fountains.
According to its website, the centre is “a multidisciplinary public space owned by the Amiri Diwan striving to entertain, educate and inspire the people of Kuwait".
The international musical show Cats was scheduled to be performed at the centre on Thursday.
The centre is named after the thirteenth emir of the Al Sabah ruling family and third ruler of Kuwait since independence.
