A full investigation has been promised after a blaze swept through a residential tower in Ajman, in the latest of a string of high-rise fires in the UAE.

Hundreds of people fled their homes after a massive fire in a block in Ajman’s Al Sawan area, which broke out after 9pm on Monday night.

The blaze started on an apartment balcony and strong winds saw it spread to neighbouring buildings, with around 10 people suffering from smoke inhalation, according to local press reports.

Brigadier Shaikh Sultan Bin Abdullah Al Nuaimi, Commander-in-Chief of Ajman Police, told Gulf News it was too early to specify the exact cause of the fire.

“A full investigation will be launched once the cooling process is completed and the building site will be handed over to the forensic laboratory of Ajman Police to determine the cause of the fire,” he told the newspaper.

Civil defence teams worked until the small hours of Tuesday morning to control the blaze. Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ajman, toured the fire site earlier today, according to the UAE state news agency WAM.

The incident in Ajman is the latest in a series of fires at high-rise towers in the UAE, amid ongoing concerns over the quality of materials used in some buildings in the country.

In Dubai a major fire hit The Address Downtown hotel on New Year’s Eve, in a blaze police said was caused by an electrical fault.

A UAE-wide series of building inspections was ordered following the incident, in an attempt to ensure fire safety across the country.

Earlier in 2015, a huge fire hit The Torch building in Dubai, which also led to questions being raised over the façade material used.