A huge fire at a McDonald’s restaurant in the Auckland suburb of Pakuranga is being treated as suspicious.

The fire spewed smoke across the East Auckland suburb this afternoon and closed Pakuranga Rd in both directions.

Witnesses said they heard explosions and thought the fire had started from the playground attached to the restaurant.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand said a fire investigator had been requested, as the fire is being treated as suspicious at this stage.

The fire has now been extinguished and Pakuranga Rd has reopened in both directions.

Earlier a police spokesperson said emergency services were attending a building fire on Pakuranga Rd.

“The fire, at the McDonald’s restaurant, was reported to police at about 3pm. At this stage there are no reports of injury.

“People are being evacuated from buildings in the immediate area as a precaution.”

A Fire and Emergency spokesperson said at about 2.59pm, they received multiple calls about a building on fire on Pakuranga Rd.

“Upon arrival, we found the McDonald’s well alight.”

“We have six trucks, including a ladder truck, at the scene. The fire is under control, and crews are currently working to extinguish the fire.

“Everyone was evacuated, and there are no reports of injuries.”

The fire at the McDonalds in Pakuranga is being treated as suspicious.

A video sent to the Herald showed thick grey and black smoke coming from the building on Pakuranga Rd.

At the height of the fire a staff member at the nearby petrol station told the Herald he could see plumes of smoke coming from the nearby McDonald’s.

“There are heaps of fire trucks and police cars,” he said.

“We have had to close our pumps. You can’t see anything outside because the smoke is so thick.”

Google Maps shows traffic disruption in the area.

A witness told the Herald he was filling up at the petrol station when he smelled what he thought was gas.

“There was a ute next to me smoking from the exhaust, so I thought nothing of it,” he said.

“After I had paid and came out, the playground (at McDonald’s) on fire was obvious.“

”I went over to see if I could help, but the heat was intense, and a few of us started to worry about whether it would reach the petrol station, so we got out of there pretty quickly.”

A witness called the fire at the playground at the back of Pakuranga McDonald's "intense". Photo / supplied

Reverend Amos Muzodiwa, from the nearby Trinity Church, told RNZ he saw a big fireball.

He could still hear explosions at about 3.25pm.

“It started around the play area from what I could see initially but it has now engulfed the whole building.

“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.”

Muzodiwa told RNZ the fire appeared to have started near the children’s playground.

A McDonald’s spokesperson confirmed there was a fire at the McDonald’s 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 McDonalds in the east Auckland suburb of Pakuranga is on fire. Photo / supplied