FIREFIGHTERS bravely battled a huge blaze that ripped through a block of flats in Manchester's city centre this afternoon.
The blaze broke out at the Lighthouse Apartments tower block in the Northern Quarter of Manchester’s city centre earlier this evening.
The apartment block is situated close to Afflecks Palace, a large indoor market just one street away.
Dramatic images from the scene showed smoke billowing out the tall tower block as the raging inferno spreads, while crowds of people watched on from below.
Fire crews confirmed one person was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation and the fire had spread "over a number of floors".
A dozen fire engines attended the scene as firefighters battled to get the blaze under control.
According to fire service sources, three apartments have been damaged as well as a section of the exterior of the building.
Manchester Fire, who have now brought the flames under control, urged people to stay away from the area and to close their windows and doors if they live nearby.
The fire brigade tweeted: “We're currently tackling a fire on the 9th floor of a 12-storey building on Joiner Street in Manchester's Northern Quarter.
“Please avoid the area if possible and keep windows and doors shut if you live nearby.”
One witness told the MEN: "It looks like a very big fire. There are police and ambulances and fire engines everywhere.
"The fire is about halfway up the building - it looks serious."
Another onlooker at scene told the BBC: "The fire has now been doused. A big hose on some kind of crane got it under control.
"The crowd has been applauding the firefighters as they are doing a heroic job."
Church Street was closed eastbound due to the incident between High Street and Tib Street's junction with Dale Street after police cordoned off the area surrounding the tower block.
A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: “We are currently supporting colleagues from GMFRS responding to a fire at a block of flats on Joiner Street in the Northern Quarter. A number of roads have been closed in the area. Please try to avoid the area.”
A spokeswoman for the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) said resources are at the scene but no further information is currently available.
Damien Butters was in the block when the fire broke out, and told MEN: “We saw smoke outside the window. We went to the lifts but they weren’t working, there was no fire alarm sounding. We went to the stairs but they were too full of smoke. We went back to the room and called reception.
“It was pretty scary, my wife’s first reaction was was it the same sort of building as the one in London (Grenfell Tower).
Continue Reading: Manchester fire: Scores of firefighters tackling huge inferno engulfing tower block
The blaze broke out at the Lighthouse Apartments tower block in the Northern Quarter of Manchester’s city centre earlier this evening.
The apartment block is situated close to Afflecks Palace, a large indoor market just one street away.
Dramatic images from the scene showed smoke billowing out the tall tower block as the raging inferno spreads, while crowds of people watched on from below.
Fire crews confirmed one person was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation and the fire had spread "over a number of floors".
A dozen fire engines attended the scene as firefighters battled to get the blaze under control.
According to fire service sources, three apartments have been damaged as well as a section of the exterior of the building.
Manchester Fire, who have now brought the flames under control, urged people to stay away from the area and to close their windows and doors if they live nearby.
The fire brigade tweeted: “We're currently tackling a fire on the 9th floor of a 12-storey building on Joiner Street in Manchester's Northern Quarter.
“Please avoid the area if possible and keep windows and doors shut if you live nearby.”
One witness told the MEN: "It looks like a very big fire. There are police and ambulances and fire engines everywhere.
"The fire is about halfway up the building - it looks serious."
Another onlooker at scene told the BBC: "The fire has now been doused. A big hose on some kind of crane got it under control.
"The crowd has been applauding the firefighters as they are doing a heroic job."
Church Street was closed eastbound due to the incident between High Street and Tib Street's junction with Dale Street after police cordoned off the area surrounding the tower block.
A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: “We are currently supporting colleagues from GMFRS responding to a fire at a block of flats on Joiner Street in the Northern Quarter. A number of roads have been closed in the area. Please try to avoid the area.”
A spokeswoman for the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) said resources are at the scene but no further information is currently available.
Damien Butters was in the block when the fire broke out, and told MEN: “We saw smoke outside the window. We went to the lifts but they weren’t working, there was no fire alarm sounding. We went to the stairs but they were too full of smoke. We went back to the room and called reception.
“It was pretty scary, my wife’s first reaction was was it the same sort of building as the one in London (Grenfell Tower).
Continue Reading: Manchester fire: Scores of firefighters tackling huge inferno engulfing tower block
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