High rise fire tackled in Manchester city centre
70 people were led to safety near to the Arndale early this morning
Six fire engines have been dealing with a fire at a high-rise residential building in Manchester city centre.
70 people had to be led to safety after the blaze was reported half-way up a 15 storey building close to Church Street.
GMFRS say they fought the flames from the outside of the building with a jet and aerial ladder and inside managing to limit damage to four apartments on the fourth and fifth floors.
Residents were allowed back into homes from around 9am.
Tony Hunter, Assistant Chief Fire Officer said, "This morning’s fire in the Church Street area of Manchester could quite easily have had more serious consequences. I want to praise the swift and professional actions of our firefighters who not only helped local people to safety, with the support of police colleagues, but also quickly contained and then extinguished the flames.
“GMFRS implemented many of the techniques and lessons we have learned from other recent examples of fires in multi-storey residential buildings, including at The Cube student accommodation in Bolton in November, to quickly get this incident under control. In Greater Manchester we have developed some of the most comprehensive and innovative approaches to fighting high-rise building fires in the country, and much of that was successfully deployed this morning.
“However, it is important to recognise that, but for the hard work of the emergency services, this morning’s outcome could have been grave. We are currently investigating the cause of the fire, with initial indications suggesting it started on a residential balcony. There have been two significant fires involving high-rise buildings this week, in Manchester today and in Deptford in London on Wednesday, and both could have resulted in serious injuries or even worse. This morning I am appealing to those people who have homes with balconies to please take extra care, being especially vigilant in extinguishing cigarettes and never using barbecues.”
An investigation into the cause of this morning’s fire has commenced.
Bev Hughes, Greater Manchester's Deputy Mayor for Policing, Crime, Criminal Justice and Fire, added, "I cannot praise Greater Manchester’s firefighters and police officers enough for their work in the Northern Quarter this morning. A potentially dreadful outcome was averted thanks to their quick actions and the support and co-operation of all the affected residents.
"We believe that the alarm was first raised by a passer-by who called 999 after spotting smoke coming from one of the building’s balconies, followed by the internal fire alarm. I would like to thank that Manchester resident for their actions in alerting the emergency service, which may well have contributed to no-one at the incident sustaining any serious injuries.
"This morning is a great example of Greater Manchester’s emergency services working together to keep out residents safe. During these unusual and challenging times it is heartening to know that, in a crisis, our frontline workers are still there, working 24/7 to keep us all protected."
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