Russian petrol station fire sends fireballs into the sky

At least 33 people injured as flames spread and fuel tanks exploded

The fire at a petrol station near the Russian city of Novosibirsk left 33 people injured. EPA

Huge fireballs bloomed into the sky near Russia's third-biggest city on Monday after a petrol station caught fire.

The fire at Akademgorodok, near Novosibirsk, started when a car was being filled with petrol, an employee of the Eurogas petrol station told Russia's state-owned Tass news agency.

It covered an area of more than 800 square metres as fuel tanks exploded, injuring 33 people including two firefighters attempting to put out the blaze. Twenty people were admitted to hospital.

Videos of the incident shared online show multiple fire balls shooting into the sky as tanks holding fuel exploded.

Traffic was diverted away from the area. Authorities say the fire has been extinguished.