A 26-year-old man has been airlifted to hospital after being found on fire outside a Frankie & Benny’s restaurant in Rochdale.
Police confirmed they had been called to Sandbrook retail park in Rochdale at around 11.20am on Tuesday following reports that a man was on fire.
A spokesperson for North West ambulance service said that on arrival at the scene they found a man with severe burns from the waist down and on his hands.
The man, who was conscious and breathing when paramedics arrived, was taken by air ambulance to the specialist burns unit at Wythenshawe hospital.
Greater Manchester police said the man remained in a critical condition and inquiries into the incident were ongoing.
A spokesperson for Frankie & Benny’s urged anybody with information to contact the police.
“We can confirm that an incident occurred outside our premises involving an external member of the public who was not a guest at the restaurant,” they said.
“Our team reacted quickly and involved the emergency services. This is now a police matter and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment further.”
Greater Manchester fire and rescue service said it sent a number of fire engines and officers to the scene, but the fire was out by the time they arrived.
Witnesses told the Manchester Evening News that the man had entered the restaurant to get a fire extinguisher to put out the fire on his legs. The site remained cordoned off on Tuesday afternoon.
