West Midlands Police, the local force that covers the Birmingham area, said its officers were called to reports of a stabbing in the city center at 12:30 a.m. local time on Sunday morning.
“A number of other stabbings were reported in the area shortly after and this has been declared a major incident,” the statement said. Several people were reported to have been injured.
Police said emergency services were at the scene to treat those who need medical care.
There was no immediate information on the background of the stabbing incident or the identities of the individuals involved.
“At this early stage it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident,” said the police statement.
Officials said some roads into the city center of Birmingham, some 163 kilometers (101 miles) north-west of London, have been closed.
Local people have been asked to stay away from the area. A police cordon has been set up around the scene, between the Gay Village and Chinese Quarter areas of the city.
West Midlands Police said they were unable to confirm speculation that gunshots were fired at the scene. “This has not been reported to us at this stage,” the force wrote on Twitter.