Manchester: Customers flee from shisha bar fire in May

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Footage shared online by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) shows the moment a shisha bar in Rusholme went up in flames in May, after an indoor sparkler attached to a cake set roof decorations alight. The huge blaze came just months after an almost identical incident which saw New Year’s Eve celebrations end in catastrophe.

The video shows revellers fleeing a popular city centre bar – One Eight Six – after sparklers set fire to balloons and decorations on the ceiling.

According to the Manchester Evening News, the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) released the footage to highlight the dangers of how quickly fires can spread ahead of the busy Halloween, World Cup and Christmas party season.

After the blaze at the shisha bar on Wilmslow Road on May 27, two people were taken to hospital with suspected burns, but no serious injuries were reported. Scenes descended into chaos as customers burst out into the street, where a cordon was put in place by emergency services as the fire was tackled.

In the early hours of January 1, as thousands flocked to Manchester city centre to welcome in 2022, around 170 terrified customers who had just counted down into the new year were quickly evacuated when the sparklers also decorations alight. Screams and loud popping noises could be heard as burning bunches of balloons fell to the ground and the revellers ran for safety.

The owner of the exclusive bar previously said in a statement that the main room was ‘completely destroyed’ in the blaze, as a huge emergency services response raced to the scene in the early hours. Two men were taken to hospital for treatment after inhaling smoke, with a third was treated at the scene by paramedics.

Following both fires, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service completed an investigation to establish the causes, which found both had been caused by indoor fireworks igniting decorations, which then burned rapidly allowing the fire to spread. GMFRS are now working with licensing teams from all 10 councils in Greater Manchester to offer advice sessions to owners and managers of cafes, bars, pubs and restaurants to prevent such fires in future.

Leon Parkes, GMFRS’s Director of Prevention and Protection, said: “Hospitality venues have a responsibility to keep their customers and staff safe and at Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service we want to help businesses to understand their legal responsibilities and take action to protect their property, staff and customers from fire.

“We have seen a couple of instances in the past year in Manchester where fires have broken out in venues caused by indoor fireworks setting light to decorations. While fortunately fires don’t occur very often, the impact of a fire can be devastating and many businesses don’t recover.

Pubs, bars and other venues will be very, very busy during October, November and December. It’s important that staff prepare by getting trained in what they need to do and that they don’t inadvertently create a fire risk.

“We know that the last two years have been really difficult for hospitality businesses and hopefully the forthcoming World Cup and Christmas period will be a boost for them. We gave out fire safety advice in May last year as Covid-19 restrictions eased and we are now working with our partners to help hospitality businesses be safe and stay safe.”

The Fire Safety Order requires businesses to make a fire risk assessment to identify possible causes and what measures are needed to keep people safe, as well as reducing the risk of a potential fire spreading and planning an escape route that can be used in the event of a blaze. Staff are also required to undertake training on what to do in the event of a fire and facilitate a plan on how to deal with large numbers of people, some of whom may be drunk or have mobility difficulties.

Following the two incidents, GMFRS has written out to over 3,000 hospitality premises providing them with advice about their legal responsibilities under the Fire Safety Order.

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