UAE: Abu Dhabi fire - The family's new house was almost complete!

• The fire, which erupted from the ground floor of the two-storey villa, took eight lives; that of three women and five children.

The family that lost eight of its members in a fire on Tuesday morning in Abu Dhabi's Bani Yas was planning to move in to their new house soon, relatives of the deceased told Khaleej Times.

The fire, which erupted from the ground floor of the two-storey villa, took eight lives; that of three women and five children. The youngest child was only one and a half years old.The new house, which was being built near the house that caught fire, is almost complete.

Walking inside the burnt house was difficult - not because of the intense smell of toxins and smoke, but because of the sight of the toys that once belonged to the five children, who tragically lost their lives. Four young men, who were relatives to the eight victims of the fire at Bani Yas, took this reporter inside the house, right before they headed to the burial on Tuesday.

Outside the house is a small garden filled with wooden and metal swings that the children played in. Another relative said the community showed incredible solidarity and support.