NEW YORK IN FLAMES: Giant blaze which can be seen across the city TEARS through Manhattan
A MAJOR New York hospital has gone up in flames which can be seen right across the city.
HUGE fire breaks out at NYU hospital
The NYU Langone medical centre - ranked number one for quality and patient safety in New York - in Manhattan was seen with giant flames coming out of the fifth floor.
Billowing clouds of black smoke was seen spewing out of the window of the hospital, which is one of New York's busiest, at 30th Street and First Avenue.
New Yorkers were posting pictures on social media of the fire and smoke which could be seen from miles away on the other side of Manhattan.
Authorities said nobody had been hurt in the fire and firefighters managed to get the blaze under control within an hour, although smoke continues to stream out of the building.
The fire could be seen from across New York City
A total of 25 fire engines are at the scene, with numerous firefighters battling the blaze.
The blaze broke out on a fifth-floor roof of a hospital building which is currently under construction.
New York Police Department was called to the scene to deal with crowd control.
Smoke was billowing for well over an hour
Authorities confirmed the blaze broke out at the Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Pavilion, a brand new 830,000-square foot tower which had been set to open in 2018.
The cause of the fire was not initially clear but it is believed to be related to construction going on at the building.
They added there was unlikely to be much left of the building.
Fire getting worse on the east river. Looks like it's in the low 30s pic.twitter.com/K2bQ7Zgfbk
— Emily C. Singer (@CahnEmily) December 14, 2016
Roads around the area have been shut down as firefighters battle the blaze.
The city's Office of emergency Management urged people to avoid the area and close windows near the scene.
The hospital is in south Manhattan in New York City
Langone hospital tweeted there was a fire on a construction site at the Kimmel Pavilion, part of the hospital.
They added no patients were harmed in the fire and there were no injuries.