A fire that broke out on the ninth floor of a 12-storey apartment block in Manchester and spread swiftly through several flats last night before being contained by firefighters left one person in hospital needing treatment for smoke inhalation.
Dramatic scenes shared on social media showed the flames spreading rapidly through the building with some of the firefighters from 15 appliances going on to balconies to tackle the flames. The blaze led to a number of streets being closed and an appeal for neighbours to stay indoors and the public to avoid the area.
Greater Manchester fire and rescue service used Twitter to publish updates on the blaze in the building on Joiner Street in the city’s Northern Quarter. “We still have 12 fire appliances tackling the blaze in the Northern Quarter over a number of floors. Firefighting in still ongoing and one casualty has been taken to hospital suffering smoke inhalation. Please avoid the area as roads are still shut.”
Some hours later they said: “The fire had spread to multiple floors but we have things well under control here. Firefighters along with colleagues from the police and ambulance service have done an amazing job to tackle this difficult incident!”
The fire appeared to have been put out by 6pm, and beams from flashlights could be seen in the burned out flats. Councillor Pat Karney, speaking from the scene, said the fire service was now visiting all the residents in the flats above the ninth floor to check they were OK and to see if they wanted to leave. The building was not evacuated.
“The council will ensure that everyone is given accommodation who needs it,” he said, adding that some of the flats in the block were holiday lets. “We are very, very grateful to Greater Manchester fire and rescue for containing the fire so quickly, in what was a very serious situation.”
Resident Megan Baxter, 22, who was standing by the police cordon, was first alerted to the fire by a neighbour knocking the door of her second floor flat.
Apartment on fire in town #manchester #northernquarter #town pic.twitter.com/1g6wnlzeum
— Jordan Booth (@J_Booth94) December 30, 2017
“I tried to get my hamster out of the cage and it wouldn’t come, so I just left her and came out,” she said. “That’s when I looked up and saw that there was smoke everywhere.” Baxter said she found it worrying that she hadn’t heard a fire alarm go off. “What happened at Grenfell does run through your mind.”
The manager of a local restaurant approached her to say she could come in for a free meal and that she was welcome to stay at his home that night. Another man handed her a free coffee. “[The community spirit] does make you feel warm and fuzzy,” she said. “Obviously what happened this past year in Manchester brought people together.”
Manchester Central MP Lucy Powell tweeted: “I have spoken with the Manchester fire service. The Manchester fire is under control and the building is being safely evacuated. Paramedics & others are at the scene to triage all those affected but no serious injuries known. Thank you our brilliant firefighters & paramedics.”
I have spoken with the Manchester fire service. The #manchesterfire is under control and the building is being safely evacuated. Paramedics & others are at the scene to triage all those affected but no serious injuries known. Thank you our brilliant firefighters & paramedics.
— Lucy Powell MP (@LucyMPowell) December 30, 2017
