Emergency services are responding to a fire at a McDonald's in Pakuranga, Auckland.

Police and fire crews were called to the blaze, on Pakuranga Road, at about 3pm Monday.

At this stage, there are no reports of injury, police said.

Pakuranga Road has been closed in both directions and road users are advised to avoid the area.

People are being evacuated from nearby buildings as a precaution, police said.

A worker at the next door Z petrol station said there was a lot of smoke and they could see flames.

They had closed the petrol station down and moved away from it.

Reverend Amos Muzodiwa, from the nearby Trinity Church, said he saw a big fire ball.

He could still hear explosions when he spoke to RNZ at about 3.25pm, he said.

"It started around the play area from what I could see initially but it has now engulfed the whole building," he said

There was a lot of smoke, a thick black cloud, he said.

"The kids are coming out of Pakuranga College so they are battling to control the movement of kids so they don't walk into the smoke," he said

It appeared to him, it has started near the children's playground, he said.

There were several fire trucks on the scene. Firefighters had secured the petrol station next door and were fighting the blaze from there.

More to come...