UAQ Civil Defence evacuates 170 after house fire

No injuries were reported from the blaze on Monday

Pictures on social media showed the damage caused by the blaze. UAQ Civil Defence

Civil Defence authorities evacuated 170 people from a district in Umm Al Quwain on Monday following a substantial house fire.

Officials evacuated a villa and surrounding buildings in Al Hamra district after receiving reports of the blaze at 8.15pm.

Col Salem Hamad, director of UAQ Civil Defence, said unauthorised extensions to properties in the area had made it difficult for his team to conduct a thorough search of buildings.

Photographs of the aftermath of the blaze posted on social media showed extensive damage to a room inside one house.

Beds and mattresses were completely destroyed, with the heat of the fire stripping the walls of paint. No injuries were reported in the incident and the cause of the fire has not been disclosed.