A discarded cigarette was the cause of the large fire which ripped through a high-rise apartment block on the outskirts of the city centre yesterday.
The cigarette was left on a balcony on one of the upper floors at the flats on Parliament Street, next to the Baltic Triangle.
It caused flames to spread through the fifth and sixth floors of the high rise, sending big plumes of black smoke drifting over one of the major routes in the city centre.
Residents were forced to evacuate as firefighters rushed to the scene and spent up to seven hours extinguishing the blaze and damping down.
Now, it has been confirmed that a discarded cigarette, left out on an upper balcony, was the cause of the major fire.
It has been classed as accidental.
Yesterday, brave bar workers who spotted the fire from Birdies, in the Cains Brewery complex, told how they hammered on doors and windows to get unaware residents out.
And it emerged how no fire alarms sounded as the flames were raging which as prompted concern from people in the fire safety industry.
A spokesman for Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said they would be looking at all elements of the blaze, including evacuation procedures and the use or lack of any fire alarms.
The large fire broke out at about 9.40am yesterday morning on the fifth and sixth floors of the high rise apartment block, where many students live.
The blaze could be seen in the scaffolding area of the structure, which is currently under development.
An aerial appliance was used to access the upper levels and blackened metal could be seen afterwards when the blaze had been dampened down.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Incident Commander, Craig Whitfield, who was at the scene, said: "Crews faced a well-developed fire on the 5th and 6th floors and commenced an assertive and effective attack.
"The aerial ladder platform has proven effective in the external attack."
He added: "The fire service implemented a building evacuation early in the incident."
It is not believed there are any injuries.
