A fire at a Auckland McDonald's is being treated as suspicious, Fire and Emergency (FENZ) say.
Emergency services responed to a fire at a McDonald's in Pakuranga, Auckland at about 3pm Monday.
At this stage, there are no reports of injury, police said.
Pakuranga Road was closed in both directions, however, it has since been reopened.
People were evacuated from nearby buildings as a precaution, police said.
Photo: RNZ/Marika Khabazi
Firefighters had secured the petrol station next door and were fighting the blaze from there.
Fire and Emergency said it sent six fire trucks to the scene and crews arrived shortly after 3pm to find the McDonald's "fully alight".
They say the building was fully engulfed but all staff and customers were safely evacuated.
Photo: Supplied/Simon Richards
A McDonald's spokesperson confirmed the fire was at their Pakuranga restaurant.
"The McDonald's Pakuranga restaurant has suffered significant damage as the result of a fire on Monday afternoon.
"Procedures were followed to alert emergency services and safely evacuate customers and staff. McDonald's is assisting emergency services as they begin the investigation into the cause of the fire," a spokesperson 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.
Photo: RNZ/Marika Khabazi
Reverend Amos Muzodiwa, from the nearby Trinity Church, told RNZ 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.
Fire and Emergency said it sent six fire trucks to the scene. Photo: Supplied/Vicki Over
