At least 16 people were killed and nine others injured in a residential building fire in the wealthy Gulf emirate of Dubai, the government said Sunday.

The fire broke out at midday Saturday on the fourth floor of the building in the Al-Ras neighborhood in the old part of the city.

The civil defense force said preliminary investigations showed the fire was caused by a "lack of compliance with building security and safety requirements," the government's media office said in a statement.

Firefighting teams were at the blaze within six minutes of being notified, it added.

Dubai, one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has a population of around 3.3 million, of whom almost 90% are foreigners.

The nationality of the victims has not yet been revealed.

The city has experienced spectacular fires in the past, causing extensive damage but few casualties.

In 2017, the authorities announced the adoption of stricter building regulations to minimize the risk of fire, attributed mainly to flammable materials used in the exterior cladding of buildings.