Watch: Fire reported in Dubai residential building

An apartment was gutted in a fire that broke out in a residential building in the Karama area in Dubai this afternoon.

The operations room of Dubai Civil Defence received a call at 3:07 pm that fire had broken out at a residential building located next to ADCB Bank in Al Fahidi road in Karama, near the Dubai Metro station. Fire brigades from Karama Civil Defence station rushed to the site and found the fire had erupted on the fourth floor of the building.

Authorities brought the blaze under control at 3:47 pm and firefighters evacuated the building and prevented the fire from extending to other flats. Eyewitnesses said heavy black smoke was billowing out of the balcony and windows of the apartment even as firefighters carried out the operation.

After the fire was doused, Civil Defence began a cooling operation to prevent the fire from re-igniting. Mahmood Hamad, spokesperson of Dubai Civil Defence, said that no one was injured and few people were treated at the site for smoke inhalation.

The street was temporarily closed to traffic to allow access to emergency services.

Eyewitnesses saw a Filipina national being administered first aid to treat smoke inhalation.

Forensic experts are investigating the cause of fire.

• Dubai