Two people were killed and four taken to hospital with injuries on Monday after a shooting at a library in the small city of Clovis, New Mexico, the city's fire chief said.

One person was arrested in the incident, fire chief Michael Nolen said.

Library user Vanessa Aguirre said she was in the Clovis-Carter Public Library with her son when a man came in and "started to shoot" into the air, The Eastern New Mexico News reported.

"It all happened so fast," she told the newspaper.

"We took off fast. My purse is still in there."

Officials at the library could not be reached to comment.

Clovis, which has a population of about 40,000, is around 190 miles east of Albuquerque near the Texas border and is home to Cannon Air Force Base.

The newspaper reported that air ambulances had been dispatched and at least one victim was taken to Clovis Municipal Airport for transport to Lubbock, Texas.