Hundreds of pupils and staff fled a Hong Kong kindergarten on Tuesday afternoon after a fire broke out, with flames shattering windows and thick black smoke billowing into the sky.

The fire started in a classroom at the Yuen Long Lutheran Life Kindergarten on Yuen Long On Ning Road at around 3.40pm.

Videos posted online show large flames emerging from parts of a building on the campus.

About 300 people, comprising 250 children and 51 staff members, escaped to a nearby playground without injury.

Firefighters deployed a hosepipe and a breathing apparatus team to tackle the blaze, which was extinguished by 3.58pm.

The Fire Services Department said the blaze was related to an air-conditioning unit in the affected classroom. It will conduct an investigation with the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department to determine the cause.