Ajman: An explosion rocked a residential tower in Al Rashidyah area of Ajman in the early hours of Monday.
The blast was caused by a gas cylinder stored on the balcony of one of the apartments in the building, a civil defence official said
The blast caused extensive damage to the apartment as well as nine cars parked near the building that were hit by flying debris.
Colonel Nasser Rashid Al Ziri, director of the media and public relations department of Ajman Civil Defence, told Gulf News that the operations room received a call at around 4.30am saying that a massive explosion had occurred in one of the residential towers in Al Rashidyah area.
Police patrols, a fire tender as well as an ambulance were dispatched to the scene.
No casualties have been reported in the incident so far.
Residents of the tower were evacuated after the blast, which occurred in an apartment located on the 15th floor.
Initial investigations showed that the gas cylinder had been left on the balcony by the occupants of the flat disregarding safety stipulations.
Col. Al Ziri urged homeowners to take due safety precautions when storing gas cylinders, like keeping them in cupboards with good ventilation away from direct sunlight or flammable materials.
