A fire has broken out at the historic St Stephens church in the Auckland suburb of Ponsonby.
Fire and Emergency was called about the large blaze just before 3:30pm on Saturday afternoon and has 14 fire trucks responding, while police are also in attendance in a traffic control capacity.
The fire is in the main hall of the single-storey church and has caused damage to external walls of the structure as well as the roof.
Aerial appliances can be seen spraying water into the building. Flames can be seen from the road.
There have been no injuries reported and no one is trapped inside.
Due to the fire, NZTA says the southbound Shelly Beach Rd off-ramp has been closed.
Video supplied to Newshub shows a large plume of hazy smoke coming from the church. The smoke can be seen from other parts of the city.
Maria Algie, who has been a member of the church congregation for about 40 years, told Newshub it was "so sad" and "totally unexpected".
"I really know that out of the embers another church will come," she said.
"I do know that. It is a pivotal part of the community and I am sad to see the damage."
With some lanes blocked off to allow emergency services to respond, there is congestion. Google Maps says there is "heavy traffic" in the area.
St Stephens Presbyterian Church, which is found on the corner of Jervois Rd and Shelly Beach Rd, has stood for more than 134 years and is registered as a Historic Place with Heritage NZ.
