A fire at an Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centre in the United Arab Emirates caused significant connectivity loss from one of its "Availability Zones" on Sunday. The incident, which created sparks and fire, occurred around 7:30 a.m. ET (3:30 p.m. UAE time). The local fire department responded by shutting off power to the facility and its backup generators to extinguish the blaze.
AWS, the cloud computing arm of Amazon.com Inc., stated that the zone was "impacted by objects," though it did not specify what those objects were. The company advised affected customers to use alternate Availability Zones or other AWS regions where possible.
Recovery Efforts Underway Amid Ongoing Crisis
By Sunday evening, around 7:30 p.m. ET, AWS reported seeing "significant signs of recovery" for some systems. However, power remained offline at the affected data centre, and the company stated it did not have an estimated time for its restoration. An Availability Zone, according to Amazon's documentation, can comprise one or more physical data centres. AWS operates three such zones in the UAE.
The facility fire coincided with a period of intense military activity in the region. Over the weekend, US and Israeli forces conducted strikes on Iran, prompting retaliatory attacks from the Iranian military targeting at least half a dozen Gulf states, including the UAE.
Regional Context of Broader Attacks
Photos and videos from Dubai showed missiles streaking across the sky on Saturday and Sunday. Intercepted missiles caused secondary fires and damage across the region. Notable properties affected included the luxury Fairmont hotel on the Palm Jumeirah, Dubai's main international airport, and the iconic Burj Al-Arab hotel.
The AWS outage highlights the vulnerability of critical digital infrastructure during geopolitical conflicts. The company's status updates focused on technical recovery, without commenting on any potential link between the data centre fire and the wider military strikes occurring in the region.