Egypt's top prosecutor Nabil Sadek said on Wednesday that a fire that broke out at the construction site of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) near the Giza Pyramids earlier this week was caused by welding sparks during installation work on the building's central air conditioning system.

A team of prosecutors who inspected the site said the blaze broke out after hot sparks from a welding device fell on a foam layer covering the building's western façade and adjacent scaffolding, a statement from Sadek's said on Wednesday.

Video footage of flames and plumes of thick black smoke rising over the museum entrance circulated on social media on Sunday.

Investigations revealed that the fire had left no casualties and no damage to antiquities or museum facilities, the statement added.

Sadek also ordered investigators to review industrial safety measures at the site and interviewed engineering and building specialists at the museum to identify those responsible.

The museum, which is located near Egypt's famous Great Pyramids of Giza, will house some of the nation's most unique and precious artifacts.

A partial opening of the GEM is planned for later in the year.