An area outside the Etihad Stadium had to be evacuated before Manchester City’s Champions League game against Club Brugge on Wednesday after a merchandise kiosk caught fire.
The blaze broke out shortly before 6pm, close to where Pep Guardiola’s City team had been due to enter the stadium at around 6.30pm. Supporters had gathered in the area for a pre-match entertainment show which included on-stage interviews with January signings Omar Marmoush, Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov.
When the fire broke out, the show had already begun with women’s players Rebecca Knaak and Aemu Oyama on stage. The event was suspended as flames took hold of the nearby kiosk. Stewards moved fans away before fire services arrived on the scene, with the remainder of the pre-match show cancelled.
The area was quickly evacuated by stewards and security staff and a fire engine was on the scene within minutes. The fire soon appeared to be brought under control. It was announced at 6.22pm that the stadium was open and fans could enter but three entrance gates inside the cordoned-off area close to the scene were still closed.
According to local reports, the team used a different entrance to access the stadium with the West Stand reception closed. The game, which City need to win in order to progress to the Champions League knockout stages, is due to kick off at 8pm GMT as scheduled.
A club statement read: “Manchester City FC can confirm that there has been a fire in one of the outside merchandise kiosks, located near the entrance to the Colin Bell West Stand. Emergency services are present at the scene and the fire has now been extinguished.
“The safety of all attending the match tonight is our top priority, and as such all events planned for West Stand reception have been cancelled, including the welcome event for new players, and the first team arrival.”
A later update from the club added: “All entrances are open, and fans can move around the Etihad Stadium as per usual. Thank you for your cooperation. We can confirm that tonight’s match will kick off at 8pm as originally planned.”
Emergency services have yet to provide an official update, but it is thought that the fire has been safely extinguished and nobody has been injured.
