An enormous fire broke out at a residential block in on the Russian Far East island of Sakhalin on Monday.

Flames and thick clouds of smoke billowed through the sky, swamping the surrounding areas.

There were no causalities, and residents were swiftly evacuated from the building. Twenty-eight firefighters aided in the efforts to quell the flames, reported Russia's Channel Five.

The fire occurred at a 10-storey building on 29A Chekhov Street in the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk – the administrative centre of the region. The building occupied 700 square metres.

The city mayor, Sergey Nadsadin, has said repairs to the building will begin imminently. The cause of the fire is as yet unknown.

An enormous fire erupts at a residential building in the Russian Far East.