Kings Plaza fire: At least 21 injured as firefighters tackle blaze at Brooklyn shopping centre parking lot

Firefighters are tackling a massive fire that spread through a parking garage in Brooklyn, New York.

The fire began before 9:00 a.m. local time near the Kings Plaza shopping centre in Brooklyn, erupting from a two-alarm to a seven-alarm emergency within an hour. Videos shared online showed plumes of clouds billowing from the parking garage, as shoppers and passersby fled for cover from the smoke.

Police and fire department officials did not respond to enquiries, and it was not immediately clear whether police suspected criminal intent or wrongdoing. At least 21 people were reportedly injured due to the inferno, including over a dozen firefighters who had inhaled smoke.

The parking garage is located nearby the Kings Plaza Shopping centre, which holds about 120 stores and is a popular shopping area for local residents.

The fire caused mass delays across New York’s MTA system, with over a half-dozen bus lines experiencing issues during the Monday morning rush hour, NBC News New York reported.

Residents used the Citizen app to live stream the destruction as a line of cars reportedly caught fire on the second floor of the garage. A spokesperson for the shopping centre said to “avoid the area” as multiple nearby roads were closed down.

By 11:00 a.m. local times, multiple floors inside of the parking garage were reportedly engulfed in flames. Initial reports indicated at least 17 people were injured in the fire, with 15 of them being firefighters.

Other videos showed marine units responding to the scene, where the parking garage is situated along the waterway.

Over 200 firefighters were involved in battling the inferno, according to the New York Post.

In a statement, mall spokesperson Dawn Simon said the shopping centre was closed to the public and urged residents to "Avoid [the] area while the FDNY responds to the fire."

"Kings Plaza is currently closed as there is a fire in the parking garage and smoke conditions in and around the mall," she continued.