The United Arab Emirates’ new fire code may be delayed until early 2017, reported Reuters Zawya on Thursday, quoting industry sources.

The new code is supposed to introduce new safety requirements and tougher enforcement measures after several high-rise fires raised doubts about the fire safety of especially older buildings.

The sources who were quoted also talked about confusion regarding current projects, some of which were on hold until the release of the new code to finalize the cladding which is one of the main concerns of fire safety for regulators.

In line with new fire safety regulations, the fire safety market in the GCC is expected to grow massively over the next few years.