A Melbourne apartment block that caught fire this morning is believed to feature the same combustible cladding materials as London’s Grenfell Tower.

“My understanding is that the building is clad with aluminium composite materials,” Metropolitan Fire Brigade CEO Dan Stephens said.

More than 80 firefighters were deployed to contain the blaze, which started on the side of the block’s 22nd floor and quickly spread to the 27th.

Fire experts in the UK say combustible cladding was the primary cause of the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, which killed 72 people.

The same materials are found on many buildings in Australia. They were identified as a key cause of the Lacrosse apartment fire in Melbourne’s Docklands precinct in 2014.