Explosions rock Brussels suburb of Saint-Gilles

A series of explosions have rocked the Brussels suburb of Saint-Gilles as fire ripped through several parked cars.

Initial reports from the scene indicate the explosions came from vehicles parked in a public street near a popular cafe named Moda Nova.

Saint Gilles - 2 or 3 explosions and firemen still trying to stop the fire pic.twitter.com/y8MZaZChwe

— Antonella Zarra 🇪🇺 (@_AZarra) July 13, 2016

Initial reports from the scene indicate the explosions came from vehicles parked in a public street near a popular cafe named Moda Nova.

Police have cordoned off the area.

Authorities say the fire was deliberately lit but not a terrorist act.

Seven to nine cars were damaged in the fire. Firemen had put out the blaze and there were no casualties.

Police excluded terrorism as a cause although the fire was deliberately lit, Belga news agency reports.

Fox News anchor Shepard Smith tweeted: "No reports of injuries or terrorism".

The suburb of Saint-Gilles is about 4km from the European Parliament.

- additional reporting AAP