AWS Data Center in UAE Struck by “Objects,” Sparking Fire and Service Outages

New Delhi, March 2, 2026 — Amazon’s cloud computing division, Amazon Web Services (AWS), confirmed a significant disruption at one of its major data centers in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, after the facility was struck by unidentified “objects,” sparking a fire and forcing an emergency power shutdown.

The incident occurred at approximately 4:30 AM PST (4:30 PM local time) within one of the company’s “Availability Zones”—specifically identified in technical reports as mec1-az2. According to a statement from AWS, the impact of the objects triggered immediate sparks and a subsequent blaze, necessitating a rapid response from local fire departments.

Emergency Response and Operational Impact

To ensure the safety of the site and allow emergency crews to contain the flames, firefighters disconnected the electrical power to the impacted facility and its backup generators.

• Service Disruption: The power cut led to a temporary shutdown of services within that specific zone. AWS reported that several EC2 APIs and other cloud services in the UAE region experienced connectivity issues.
• Mitigation: Amazon noted that it began rerouting customer traffic to other operational data centers within the region. Customers utilizing redundant systems across multiple Availability Zones reportedly saw minimal impact.
• Restoration Status: While Amazon confirmed that its other data centers in the UAE remain fully operational, the company warned that restoring full connectivity to the damaged site could take several hours as technical teams assess the structural and hardware integrity of the servers.

Context of Regional Tensions

The incident comes at a time of heightened volatility in the Middle East. On Sunday, the UAE reported several projectile strikes across the country, affecting major hubs including Dubai International Airport and Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi.

While AWS has used neutral language to describe the “objects” that hit the facility—and has not officially confirmed whether the damage was caused by a direct military strike or falling debris—security analysts have pointed to the ongoing regional conflict involving Iran as the likely backdrop.

Infrastructure Vulnerability in Focus

The UAE has positioned itself as a global leader in digital transformation, serving as a primary hub for finance, AI, and cloud storage in the Middle East. The physical strike on an AWS facility underscores the growing risks to global tech infrastructure during geopolitical crises.

As of Monday morning, AWS teams continue to work on-site to stabilize the facility. The company has not yet provided a definitive timeline for when the affected Availability Zone will return to 100% capacity.