Firefighters rushed to Deansgate Locks tonight (Saturday) after a blaze broke out on the Metrolink platform above.
The drama unfolded at the popular Manchester city centre nightspot shortly before 8pm this evening.
A witness said smoke began coming from a section of the platform above Lola Lo's.
Three fire engines attended with firefighters situated both on the decking in front of the bar and on the platform above. A cordon was put in place.
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Onlookers said an aerial platform was used to help get crews closer.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS ) said the source of the blaze was eventually identified and the fire extinguished with specialist equipment with crews on the scene for just under two hours.
A witness said: "I was walking past the venues on Deansgate Locks, and noticed everyone looking up at the small amount of smoke seeming to come from the bushes at the Deansgate Metrolink stop.
"I made my way up the steps, outside El Diablo bar, and could see quite clearly that the smoke was coming from a gap in the wall above Lola Lo’s venue.
"Somebody tried to extinguish the fire with an extinguisher, which wasn’t very helpful.
"There were also four members of Metrolink staff stoo close to the area where the smoke was coming from.
"Three fire engines arrived within about 10 minutes of me being there - they quickly mounted the wall and started to remove some of the concrete slabs to try and identify the source of the smoke.
"They created a cordon down below outside Lola Lo’s/Revolution bar, and dropped down a rope.
"They towed a hose up the rope and started to spray the smoke.
"One fireman said they think it might have been something electrical which had started it, but it smelt more like timber or wood burning.
"Another fire engine extended a crane over the canal towards where the smoke was coming from.
"They started to spray down the gap to extinguish the fire, however, I don’t think it was immediately successful as smoke was continuing to come out of the gap for up to 2 hours later.
"Another firefighter said they couldn't locate the source of the smoke because it’s buried beneath the Metrolink platform and there was no access to it from below.
"When I left the scene around 9:15pm, the fire engines where still in situ."
A spokesperson for GMFRS said: “At around 7.50pm on Saturday 11 th August, three fire engines from Moss Side and Salford fire stations attended an incident on Deansgate Locks, Whitworth Street West, Manchester.
"The incident involved a fire on the Metrolink platform.
“Crews arrived quickly and used specialist equipment to extinguish the fire.
"Fire crews were on the scene for approximately one hour and fifty minutes.”
