A massive fire took hold of a seven-storey building in central Sydney shortly after 4pm today. 

It brought Randle Street to a standstill as onlookers watched walls collapse and rubble scatter. 

Here are some pictures from the scene showing how the crisis unfolded. 

Witness Grace Turner said the ground shook when parts of the burning building started to collapse.

“A huge flume of smoke came up and that whole wall just caved in,” she said.

“It was the loudest noise. The ground shook.”

People screamed as bricks and large chunks of walls started crashing to the ground on Randle Street. 

Korin Ellis said he came up from central station in time to see the building collapse.

“All you could feel when you were standing there was heat on your face from the flames. You could hear tyres exploding,” he said.

“I saw a couple of people running and crying.”

It took more than 100 firefighters and 20 trucks to contain the blaze before 6pm.

Ash and rubble have been thrown some 200 metres from where the blaze started. 

There were no reports of major injuries.