Thick black smoke is billowing across central Auckland after a fire broke out at the New World supermarket in Victoria Park late this morning.
The blaze began around 11:18am, prompting the evacuation of frightened shoppers who described alarms going off and being forced to abandon their trolleys as they fled.
Emergency services remain at the scene and the fire is not yet under control. Authorities are urging people to avoid the area, and nearby residents have been advised to keep their windows closed.
Smoke from the blaze is drifting over the central city and spreading into Ponsonby and Grey Lynn.
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