Firefighters work through the night to battle church blaze in Whāngārei

Fire crews spent the night fighting a large blaze that broke out at a church building in Whāngārei late last night.

Emergency services were called to a two-storey building understood to be a church on Murdoch Crescent, in the suburb of Raumanga, just before 10pm.

Fire and Emergency NZ said when firefighters arrived, they found the building to be "well alight."

As of early this morning, the blaze was out and fire crews had left the scene.

However, an investigator is due to return to the site this morning.