In addition to their own resiliency, living things and the cells they are made of are protected from excessive amounts of UV radiation by a chemical called ozone. A layer of ozone in the upper atmosphere absorbs UV radiation and prevents most of it from reaching the Earth.
Fire rips through Torch skyscraper in Dubai. Read more about sharing. A fire has swept through the Torch skyscraper in Dubai, one of the tallest residential buildings in the world. Strong winds helped the blaze to spread across the 336.1m (1,105ft) high building in the marina district. One eyewitness told the BBC there was debris flying everywhere, falling into neighbouring buildings.
The Al-Mishraq Fire. Another of the 10 worst man-made disasters of all time was the Al-Mishraq fire on June 24, 2003. This fire at an Iraqi sulfur plant burned for about a month releasing sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. Sulfur dioxide can kill people by causing respiratory problems and also creates acid rain which destroys crops.