A fire broke out at a merchandise stand outside Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium ahead of their crucial Champions League match against Club Brugge this evening.
Emergency services were called to contain the blaze, which erupted just before the vital European fixture where City must secure a victory to advance to the knockout play-off round.
The incident, captured in viral social media footage, prompted immediate response from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.
No injuries or casualties have been reported in the incident.
The Etihad Stadium was evacuated after the fire
GETTY
The area around the merchandise stand had to be evacuated and cleared to prevent the fire from spreading.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue teams were seen quickly arriving at the scene, as shown in footage that circulated on social media.
The incident disrupted the club’s plans to introduce their January signings Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, and Vitor Reis to waiting supporters outside the stadium.
The emergency response was swift and effective, with firefighters successfully containing the blaze before it could cause further disruption to the evening’s Champions League fixture.
Following the successful containment of the fire, supporters were permitted to return to the West Stand reception area.
The fire broke out at a merchandise stand
REUTERS
The swift emergency response ensured minimal disruption to the evening’s Champions League fixture preparations.
The situation has been resolved with enough time for the match to proceed as scheduled, though the planned introduction of City’s January signings to fans had to be postponed.
The area outside the Etihad Stadium has now been deemed safe for public access, allowing match preparations to continue.
City’s match against Club Brugge is arguably their biggest of the season with the reigning Premier League champions at risk of being knocked out of the competition.
They currently sit in 25th place, two points outside of the final qualifying position.
City’s only path to potentially qualifying for the next round is to ensure they pick up all three points against Club Brugge.
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Firefighters successfully contained the blaze
REUTERS
And Pep Guardiola has promised City fans they will look to get on top of the match from the very first whistle.
“We’d like to score goals in the first 20 minutes – a lot,” he said. “But I think it’s not going to happen. The approach is now to read the game you have to play, for them [players] to do. Completely relaxed, not emotional, it’s to understand the game.
“After, we have to execute. I know in this type of game you have to put something special, something that has not been enough [from us] so far in the Champions League, to win the games. It’s simple, the question is simple. If we don’t win, we’ll be out. If we win, we’ll go through.”