Manchester Fire Update: Industrial Unit Engulfed In Flames Near Etihad Stadium

A cloud of black smoke was spotted near Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England. The cloud is visible across the city of Manchester, which has a population of approximately 514,000 and is located within Greater Manchester.

Onlookers said smoke filled the sky within minutes. The town’s local fire department has asked citizens within a two-mile radius to close their doors and windows, the Manchester Evening News reported.

The fire broke out around 4:30 p.m. local time (11:30 a.m. EDT) near Etihad Campus, a facility operated by the Manchester City Football Club, news reports said. The campus is made up of the City of Manchester Stadium (sponsored by Etihad Airways), the City Football Academy Training Facility and the surrounding land. The fire was not on the campus itself.

The blaze was burning at an industrial unit on the campus, and firefighters told the Evening News the fire was “significant.” Four crews of firefighters were dispatched to fight it.

Police closed all roads surrounding the fire, though smoke was still visible throughout the city. Metrolink, the city’s public transit service, has also shut down. The industrial unit belongs to pharmaceutical company Carbogen Amcis in Clayton, the news station reported.

A number of citizens in the area were able to view the blaze from their homes and posted photos on social media sites like Twitter. The explosion allegedly involved a cylinder in one of the buildings.

"Fire crews have a list of chemicals stored at the site but do not yet know which chemicals are involved in the fire. North West Ambulance Service hazardous area team also at the scene,” Manchester Evening News reported. "Fire crews who initially tackled the fire got control quickly and managed to stop it becoming an even more serious incident.”

No injuries or deaths have been reported so far.