A fire engulfed a merchandise stand outside Etihad Stadium as fans gathered two hours before Manchester City’s Champions League home game against Club Brugge on Wednesday.
The fire started in the kiosk near the stadium’s main entrance just before 18:00 GMT as fans gathered for a presentation of the club’s January signings on a stage.
The event was halted and the area evacuated by stewards and security staff before the fire service arrived and quickly extinguished the blaze near the entrance to the Colin Bell West Stand.
City posted on X at 7.11pm that the match would kick-off at 8pm as originally scheduled, all entrances to the stadium were open and fans could move around as usual.
Reigning Premier League champions City need to win the match to reach the competition’s play-off round.
In a statement released just after 18:30, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said its firefighters were still at the scene and are “currently dampening down any hotspots and making the area safe”.
The presentation had already started when the fire broke out, with women’s players Rebecca Knaak and Aemu Oyama on stage at the time.
Men’s players Omar Marmoush, Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov were set to follow them.
City cancelled the welcome event for the new signings and the first-team arrival, but the players were later pictured arriving at the stadium.
The fire was quickly extinguished
