Sheffield fire LIVE: Huge blaze near Meadowhall shopping centre as black smoke fills sky

Pictures and video of the fire shows flames growing on an embankment near the shopping mall

Flames and thick plumes of smoke have been spotted near a major UK shopping centre after a fire broke out this evening.

The blaze erupted close to Meadowhall - Sheffield's biggest shopping mall - at around 6pm today and was first spotted on weather camera footage.

Pictures and video of the fire shows flames growing on an embankment overlooking Meadowhall, however the exact location of the fire is currently unknown.

20:21KEY EVENT

Video shows thick smoke

A video taken at the scene of the fire shows the massive plume of grey smoke blowing through the Meadowhall area.

20:18Liam Doyle

Police and ambulance crews at scene

Firefighters said in their latest statement that police and ambulance services were also on the scene as they responded to the fire.

A spokesperson for the service said: "Police and ambulance services are also supporting our response to this incident." They had previously said there were no injuries in the blaze, which they repeated in the latest statement.

20:13Liam Doyle

Fire 'involves a warehouse' fire service says

Sheffield Fire and Rescue has issued another update on the fire, with a spokesperson for the service saying the inferno engulfed a "warehouse" earlier this evening.

They said: "This fire involves a warehouse on Meadowhall Road near Meadowhall. We were called about the incident around 5.20pm. We have 10 fire engines and two turntable ladders at the scene. Meadowhall Road is closed."

20:06Liam Doyle

Workers 'told to evacuate' following fire

Social media users have said they knew people who were evacuated in the wake of the fire, including one person who posted on Reddit saying their friend had to leave a shop where they were working.

They said in a post on the platform: "My friend is working there atm and she told me they all had to evacuate from the store and that they had to close, literally an hour after I finished there as well."

20:03Liam Doyle

Smoke billows across Sheffield

The fire has appeared in a live stream of South Yorkshire, which has captured smoke billowing across the area tonight, but none of the towering flames.

19:59Liam Doyle

Dramatic photos show orange glow above Sheffield

Dramatic photos taken in the aftermath of the fire show a foreboding orange glow in the night's sky above Sheffield.

19:55KEY EVENT

Fire service issues 'stay away' warning after fire breaks out

South Yorkshire Fire and rescue has issued a "stay away" warning to locals as its firefighters work to extinguish the fire that broke out this evening.

A spokesperson for the service said: "The fire is causing a large plume of smoke in the area. Please stay away from the area whilst we carry out our work. And if you live nearby, keep your windows and doors closed."

19:49KEY EVENT

Trains disrupted after fire breaks out

While trains are running at the moment, National Rail has said there is ongoing disruption after the fire broke out in Meadowhall this evening.

19:45Liam Doyle

'We could smell smoke but nobody was panicking' calm descends over shopping centre visitors

Visitors to the local shopping centre have said its roof caught fire, but added that the overall air has been quiet and calm.

One told The Star Sheffield: “When we arrived people were leaving saying the centre’s roof was on fire. We could smell smoke but nobody was panicking. Others came out saying shops were not allowing people inside.

“But very quickly a guard came out and told everyone that the fire was on an industrial estate so people started going back in. It was all very calm inside the centre. It seems like business as usual in there now.”

19:40Liam Doyle

Trains still running as fire burns in background

Social media users have said that, despute the dramatic pictures showing the sky-high inferno burning in the background, trains are still running in Meadowhall this evening.