Five members of one family had a lucky escape after a fire broke out in a neighbouring apartment. The blaze tore through a second-floor apartment on Sunday in the Al Butaina area of Sharjah. The family managed to escape before the fire spread, but were taken to hospital and treated for smoke inhalation. “It was a very minor case of asphyxiation but to ensure they are all fine, they were taken to hospital,” said Col Sami Al Naqbi, director general of Sharjah Civil Defence. He said the family members were checked and discharged the same day. “The fire ... made them very scared,” Col Al Naqbi said. A cause has not been determined but Col Al Naqbi said the apartment where the fire started was empty. Firefighters swiftly controlled the blaze preventing it from spreading to other apartments.
