Emergency services in Dubai were called into action after a gas leak sparked a late-night fire at a restaurant near the landmark Mall of the Emirates.
Dubai Civil Defence said it swiftly contained the blaze, which broke out at Pearl View Restaurant and Cafeteria in Al Barsha.
The authority shared a picture of the damaged facade of the restaurant, after the force of the gas blast shattered its windows and left glass strewn on the pavement.
"Dubai Civil Defence teams successfully brought under control, in record time, a fire caused by a gas leak in a restaurant in the Al Barsha area," the Civil Defence posted on social media platform X at 10.40pm on Tuesday.
It did not report any casualties resulting from the incident.
Videos shared on social media showed thick smoke billowing into the sky as crowds in the busy area looked on and a police helicopter circled above.
The fire had appeared to spread to the lower sections of the residential building in which the restaurant is housed.
People on social media reported hearing an explosion from within the Mall of the Emirates, one of Dubai's busiest shopping and retail destinations.
One resident said the lights off went off in their building and the windows were shaking as a result of the blast.
Latest Al Barsha blaze
The fire is at least the third reported in densely populated Al Barsha district in recent months.
In October, residents of an apartment block were evacuated due to a fire in the early hours of the morning.
Firefighters battled the blaze for about two hours. No injuries were reported.
Police and ambulances were also sent to the scene, while the street surrounding the block was temporarily cordoned off by authorities.
In December, tenants of an eight-storey building in the area, which was engulfed in flames, recounted how they knocked on neighbours' doors to alert them of the danger after fire alarms failed to sound.
A large blaze spread rapidly through the mid-rise tower in Al Barsha, also near the Mall of Emirates, as many of its occupants slept.
The fire broke out at the Time Topaz Hotel Apartments at about 10.33pm, with teams from Dubai Civil Defence arriving within five minutes to battle the intense blaze.
No one was injured, authorities told The National. Staff at a nearby hotel said that some of the affected residents were moved to their property.
