abc's alex marquardt has the details. one of dubai's most famous luxury hotels consumed by flames. >> yes, i can see a lot of debris coming down from the building and it's getting bigger and bigger. the 20th floor of this 63-story hotel, and was visible from all around. the roar of the fire heard in video shot by eyewitnesses. it was just under three hours before dubai was to hold its famous new year's fireworks %-pshow, starting nearby at the rld's tallest building. >> it kind of caused chaos here, some people ran, some people were screaming, noknowing what was going on. >> reporter: hundreds of people were evacuated from the hotel, and remamaably, fewer than 20 were injured, according to officials. undeterred, they announced the new year's celebration would go ahead, and shortly after the clock struck midnight, fireworks burst in the air. a surreal scene with the hotel still burning in the background. there has been no mention of terror, arson or any other official cause, as investigators now dig into what ignited the m

that was alex marquardt reporting. the u-s is criticizing the execution... saying it worsens the violent sectarian divide in the region. saudi arabia along with cutting ties with iran, is ordering all diplomats out of the country in the next 48 hours. forbes magazine just released a list of hollywood's best investments... don't show evans the american actor who forbes claims to bring in the best return at the box office. and, ?have you heard of a 'boomstick'? experience. that's next on kolo 8 news now. pattern will set up across the region this week with periods of impact across the sierra. at this time, the greatest impacts will be tuesday and next weekend as a couple of stronger storms bring more widespread and moderate >>> in today's "techbytes," it's a 98-inch television. >> lg will announce its top of the line 98-inch ak tv about to go into production. the company calls it super ultrahigh def with four-times the resolution of a 4,k tv. no word yet on the price. >>> if you're getting tired of a tinny sound from your phone's earbuds, the boomstick might b

abc's alex marquardt has the details. >> reporter: a towering inferno. one of dubai's most famous luxury hotels consumed by flames. >> yes, i can see a lot of debris coming down from the building and it's getting bigger and bigger. >> reporter: the fire started on the 20th floor of this 63-story hotel, and was visible from all around. the roar of the fire heard in video shot by eyewitnesses. it was just under three hours before dubai was to hold its famous new year's fireworks show, starting nearby at the world's tallest building. >> it kind of caused chaos here, some people ran, some people were screaming, not knowing what was going on. >> reporter: hundreds of people were evacuated from the hotel, and remarkably, fewer than 20 were injured, according to officials. undeterred, they announced the new year's celebration would go ahead, and shortly after the clock struck midnight, fireworks burst in the air. a surreal scene with the hotel still burning in the background. there has been no mention of official cause, as investigators now dig into what ignite

momore now fm abc's alex marquardt. >> reporter: tear gas filled the air in mass protests. outside a saudi arabian consulate in iran, as a mob stormed and torched this saudi embassy in thehe iranianapital. protests spreading around the world. the angry chants and flag-burning. shiite muslims outraged at the execution by saudi ararabia of a prominent shiite cleric, nimr al nimr, whwas tried on terrorism related chargesn the ultraconservative unforgiving sunni kingdom. the furious response a warning that the deep gbal divisions between sunnis and shiites could get worse. and dangerously so. >> this, frankly, is going to make a broken, angry, and dysfunctional middle east even more broken, angry, and dysfunctional. >> reporter: iran, seen as the world leer of shiites, warned their arch rival, saudi arabia, that they will face divine revenge.e. from the pulpit, the outspoken cleric had railed eded against the royal family, accused of mistreating sawed die inging saudi shiites. human rights groups criticized the cleric's arrest and trial.l. heas executed alongside 46 others, mos

abc's alex marquardt as the details. >> reporter: a towering inferno. one of dubai's most famous luxury hotels consumed by flames. >> yes, i can see a lot of debris coming down from the building and it's getting bigger and bigger. >> reporter: the fire started on the 20th floor of this 63-story hotel, and was visible from all around. the roar of the fire heard in video shot by eyewitnesses. it was just under three hours before dubai was to hold its famous new year's fireworks show, starting nearby at the world's tallest building. >> it kind of caused chaos here, some people ran, some people were screaming, not knowing what was going on. >> reporter: hundreds of people were evacuated from the hotel, and remarkably, fewer than 20 were injured, according to officials. undeterred, they announced the new year's celebration would go ahead, and shortly after the clock struck midnight, fireworks burst in the air. a surreal scene with the hotel still burning in the background. there has been no mention of terror, arson or any other official cause, as investigato

>> alex marquardt in turkey for us tonight. thank you, alex. officials tonight confirming to me that the president will address the threat from isis during tonight's state of the course. but he will also try to offer a hopeful view of where this country is headed. where we are standing right here tonight, it is president obama's final state of the union address, and this image today the president putting his final touches on the speech. of policy priorities like speeches in the past, but that this will be something much and abc's chief white house correspondent jonathan karl tonight, getting a first look at the speech just moments ago. hey, jon. for his presidency. we've just gotten a look at some of the excerpts and one of them, he compares what's happened under his presidency to big changes in american history, saying, each time there have been those who told us to fear the future, who claimed we could slam the brakes on change, promising to restore past glory, if we just got some group or idea that was threatening america un

>> alex marquardt with us tonight. thank you, alex. >>> back here in this country now, and to the growing outrage this evening, and the growing fear in flint, michigan. tonight, the national guard mobilizing, officials going door to door there, delivering bottled water, after it was revealed the tap water is c contaminated with lead and has been for more than a year now. and now word of something else. a spike in a deadly disease, and the question, is it all linked? abc's alex perez in flint tonight. >> reporter: tonight, national guard troops called in to hand out water, an emergency move in flint, michigan. teams going door to door, dropping off bottled water and filters for taps. water contaminated by lead. especially dangerous for children. worried parents here now having their kids tested for lead poisoning. this all starting in 2014, when the cash-strapped city of flint stopped paying for water from lake huron and began to process water from the nearby flint river, to save some $19 million. immediately, residents

>> alex marquardt in paris tonight. alex, thank you. >>> back here at home now, and to that rescue operation outside syracuse, new york. 17 miners starting their overnight shift suddenly trapped in an elevator, 900 feet down. sparking an urgent operation in frigid temperatures in the deepest salt mine in america. abc's gio benitez is in upstate new york tonight. >> reporter: deep beneath the earth's surface, a ten-hour ordeal. 17 miners in a shift change. the third crew of the day. trapped 900 feet underground as they went into the deepest salt mine in northhamerica. the mine's owners believe as the elevators lowered into the mine, 2,300 feet deep, a steel beam became lose, stopping the elevator, and keeping it there. overnight to 15 degrees. the miners stuck in that shaft just as cold. >> they huddled together. they did what they could do to keep each other warm and keep each other's spirits up. >> reporter: overnight, the teams above sending down blankets and heat packs. and early this morning,g, after so many hours,