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A minibus caught fire on Wednesday morning on Shaikh Zayed Road in Dubai, as well as a private vehicle on Al Ittihad Road in Umm Al Quwain. Image Credit: Supplied

Dubai: Police are cautioning residents to carry out regular maintenance work on their cars after two cars caught fire in one morning.

On Wednesday at 10.30am, the Civil Defence in Umm Al Quwain were notified that a vehicle was engulfed in flames. The car, according to officials, was parked on Al Ittihad Road.

A team of firefighters rushed to the scene, and managed to put out the fire before the flames spread and caused further damage to nearby shops. No injuries were reported.

Colonel Hassan Ali Bin Saram, director of Umm Al Quwain’s civil defence, stressed on the importance of carrying out regular maintenance work on vehicles, especially during the summer when temperatures reach 50 degrees Celsius.

The second fire took place in Dubai at around the same time, when a mini bus burst into flames on Shaikh Zayed Road as it was travelling from Abu Dhabi to Dubai Media City.

Dubai Police and a team of civil defence immediately cordoned off a section of the road, and rescued the 27 passengers.

No injuries were reported.

Fires can be prevented by taking these simple safety precautions:

Regular maintenance of the vehicles by specialised technicians

Daily monitoring of the car’s water and temperature levels

Tightly closing the fuel tank cap to avoid leakage

Avoiding smoking at all times

Turning off the engine when filling the fuel tank

Not leaving flammable materials/aerosol cans in the car

Prevent your car breaking down by reading our guide to simple maintenance