Fire crews extinguish Mt Eden restaurant blaze

Fire crews have managed to extinguish a blaze in a restaurant in the Auckland suburb of Mt Eden.

Thirteen fire engines and a number of police were at the scene of the fire, which is believed to have started in the kitchen of Namaste Indian restaurant in the heart of Mt Eden village.

A Fire and Emergency NZ spokesman said they were alerted to the fire, located in the kitchen of a two-storey building, just after 7.45pm.

A police spokeswoman said it began in Namaste restaurant.

Auckland City senior station officer Gary Lane said the fire started in a downstairs kitchen before spreading to the top storey of the building.

The blaze has since been extinguished, however fire crews expected to be at the scene for some hours checking for hotspots and a fire investigator was on the way.

There were no reports of injuries.

Earlier this evening, an eyewitness said Mt Eden Rd was closed from Grange Rd to Stokes Rd.

He said a number of double-decker buses were parked up waiting for the road to reopen.