Ajman, april 27: Over 20 people were treated for smoke inhalation as a fire destroyed a food outlet and a roastery in a 10-storey building on Khalifa Road in Ajman on Monday afternoon.
The fire was caused by a short circuit, the police said.
More than 20 residents of the building suffered suffocation as they were being evacuated. The Civil Defence and police rescue teams rushed them to Khalifa Hospital.
People living on upper floors got stuck in their balconies, as electricity supply was disconnected for safety, while the tenants of lower floors used the stairways which were engulfed by smoke.
Colonel Ali Salih Al Matroushi, Director-General of Ajman Civil Defence, said the fire started around 2.30pm was doused by 4.30pm. The food outlet was fully destroyed. The police and forensic experts are investigating the cause of the fire and estimating the loss.
–Agencies