A fire in a fuel station has set a nearby hotel ablaze in the Yemeni capital without any casualties being reported, according to the interior ministry.

Residents near the hotel reported hearing a loud explosion on Saturday morning, but the ministry said that an airplane breaking the sound barrier had also caused the boom.

Ambulances and police vehicles were seen attending the site at the Sydney Hotel next to Sittin Street, but a police cordon prevented reporters from gathering further details.

Some witnesses told Al Jazeera that a second explosion took place inside the hotel, setting a furniture shop on the ground floor of the building on fire.

There are no reports of fatalities and the reason behind the explosion is still unknown.

PHOTO CAPTION

Firefighters put out a fire at a hotel in Sanaa March 22, 2008.

Al-Jazeera