City building on fire with ‘explosion’ heard as roads cordoned off | UK | News

Firefighters rushed to the scene of the fire in Liverpool this evening and the road has been cordoned off.

The fire broke out on Smithdown Road, with Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and police involved.

Crews were alerted at 22.04 and were at the scene at 22.10, with eight fire trucks and an aircraft currently on hand.

Both ends of Smithdown Road were cordoned off by police after heavy smoke billowed from a takeaway restaurant on the road.

Many police and fire crews in the region are trying to extinguish the fire.

An eyewitness who lives in the area told the Liverpool ECHO: “My flatmates and I witnessed smoke billowing from buildings on the corner of Barrington Road, so my flatmate called 999.

“Fire and police arrived in about five minutes, preceded by a massive explosion from behind the buildings. We watched this and I took some footage of the situation unfolding.”

The incident was brought under control and the fire brigade was evacuated.

We will bring you the latest updates, pictures and videos on this breaking news story.