The blaze broke out at the residential property in Litochky, 23 miles northeast of the capital.

The owner of the home has been arrested and Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Gennady Zubko has ordered an inspection of all residential homes for the elderly in the wake of the tragedy. If found guilty of violating fire safety regulations, the owner could face three to eight years in prison, police said.

Ukraine's emergency services ministry said the fire had started in the early hours of this morning in a privately-owned two-storey building that was temporarily housing 35 people.

"Emergency services units saved 18 people, five of whom have been hospitalised with burns of varying degrees of severity," it said.

Around 150 firefighters were called to the fire, according to an emergency services Facebook post, but it is now said to be under control.

Photos of the aftermath of the fire showed the building completely gutted, with workers sifting through twisted metal in the smouldering interior.