Black smoke was seen billowing from the 13th floor balcony of an apartment building late Wednesday afternoon.

Six fire trucks and 24 firefighters were called to 88 Kavanagh Street, near the corner of Power Street, before 5pm.

When firefighters arrived, they found "black smoke and flames on the balcony" and outdoor furniture on fire.

The blaze was brought under control within 20 minutes.

The Metropolitan Fire Brigade said in a press release that a "significant number of residents self-evacuated at the time of the fire and soon returned to their floors when [it was] safe to do so."

Up to 20 residents were still in the foyer of the building at 7pm.

The cause of the fire is not yet known. MFB Specialist Fire Investigators will attend the site on Thursday morning.

An Ambulance Victoria spokeswoman said paramedics were called to the incident before 5pm. There were no injuries.

A resident in a nearby building on City Road, Caili Christian, said she saw "plumes of black smoke pouring from the balcony" at 4.50pm.

She called triple zero and the building manager, and emergency services arrived within five minutes.

"It was quite scary, considering what happened in London today. We're just relieved it was handled quickly and hope everyone is OK."

Another witness, Leon Sjogren, told Channel Nine news he saw "vicious flames ... which was pretty scary after London today".