Hundreds of residents were evacuated and two injured when flames ripped through almost 100 homes in Bangkok, Thailand, this evening.

The inferno - believed to have started from an electrical fault in a plug extension cable - began in a wooden townhouse property in the Thon Buri district of the capital city at around 7pm local time.

Fire spread throughout the two-storey home as residents ran into the street. It then jumped to neighbouring buildings affecting at least 90 homes .

Rescue efforts were hampered by the narrow streets. Fire crews managed to bring the blaze under control by 9pm but many structures were still smouldering.

The glowing orange fire could be seen from several miles away sending plumes of smoke and flames into the night sky.

Officials said that two residents were injured and taken to hospital. The full number of casualties is not yet known.

''The fire started in a wooden home and spread very quickly as all the properties are close together,'' one fireman told local television news.

''So far there have been two people taken to hospital with injuries. The initial theory about the cause of the the fire is that started from an electricity cable.

''We have estimated that there are 90 homes that have been damaged or destroyed.''

Police and fire investigators are at the scene to establish the exact cause of the blaze.