The photo has been used for illustrative purposes.

A fire broke out in the second-floor apartment of a residential building in Sharjah, causing the suffocation of five members of a family.

Civil Defence teams received a call about the fire at 11:10am on Sunday, and immediately rushed to the scene along with police patrols and ambulances.

The Pakistani family of two women, aged 36 and 28, along with three children, all nine years old, were transferred to the nearest hospital to receive treatment after inhaling smoke from the fire.

One of the two women, who was in a serious condition, was admitted to the intensive care unit.

Moreover, investigations are being carried out to ascertain the reasons for the fire.