Three Emiratis were severely burned after the butane they were inhaling while sitting in their car caught fire and caused an explosion.
Capt Dr Mohammed Al Qassim, head of criminal engineering at Dubai Police Forensics, said the compressed gas was ignited after the car was started.
The explosion shattered the windows, cutting the young men's faces and hands, he said.
The fire is the seventh incident related to gas inhalation that forensic experts in Dubai have dealt with during the first half of the year, Capt Al Qassim said.
In March, two Emirati teenagers in Ajman sustained burn injuries when compressed gas they had been inhaling exploded in their vehicle.
The teenagers, ages 17 and 18, were using the gas to refill their lighters and inhale the gas in their vehicle while it was running and parked in front of a shop in Al Jurf.
The vehicle's windows shattered after the compressed gas caught fire.
