HONG KONG — A smoking driver ignited a fire inside a van carrying fuel canisters, causing him to lose control and slam into pedestrians on a sidewalk outside a Starbucks in Shanghai on Friday, the police said. At least 18 people were injured.

The crash occurred just before 9 a.m. on Nanjing Road West, near People’s Park in the heart of the city, the authorities said.

The Shanghai police said the driver, a 40-year-old man surnamed Chen, worked for a metalware company in Shanghai and had no criminal history. He “lost control and drove onto the sidewalk,” injuring 17 pedestrians and himself. All 18 were taken to hospitals, and none of the injured pedestrians were in mortal danger, the police said.