UPDATED 4.35PM A person suffered moderate injuries in a large fire in East Auckland this afternoon.

The fire is out at the house in the suburb of Pakuranga, and the investigation into the cause can now begin.

The Fire Service, Police and ambulance were all at the scene, following reports of explosions and numerous calls to 111.

Large plumes of black smoke were seen coming through buildings on Latham Avenue after the explosion in a garage at just after two o'clock.

Newstalk ZB's Tim Dower said the garage has been destroyed but the house behind it has only suffered minor damage.

"And the garage structure on the front is obviously a timber frame structure with two doors - one of the doors is kind of still there, the rest of it is gone."

It is understood chemicals or gas were likely involved in the explosion, but there was no indication at this stage that drug manufacturing was a factor.

Witness Keith told Newstalk ZB he got to the scene about five minutes before the Fire Service.

"When the garage was exploding, you couldn't get near the house because it just exploded straight across the road. There was one lady lying on the ground who the ambulance was attending to.

"There was quite a few explosions coming from a garage on the front of a house, and the garage is completely gone now, and the front of the house is all burnt out."