Skip to main content

sean-doherty
7th October 2013

Fire at Manchester Student Village sees 1,000 evacuated

3am cooking accident sees Fire and Rescue teams called
Categories:
TLDR

Over 1,000 students were evacuated from their hall of residence last Monday after a kitchen fire broke out.

After one student left a frying pan unattended during a late night cooking session, Fire and Rescue teams were called to Manchester Student Village on Lower Chatham Street at 2.58am.

The fire fighters managed to contain the blaze in the private halls sixth floor kitchen and used a special ventilation fan to clear smoke from the property.

No-one was hurt as a result of the fire but it did cause significant damage to the communal kitchen and caused smoke damage to the rest of the floor.

Councillor David Acron, Chair of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority, has put out a plea for students to stay safe while cooking.

“Every year our crews deal with a spate of cooking fires when freshers come to Manchester.

“Leaving home and beginning to look after yourself is an exciting time, but please take care.

“It’s easy to get distracted when cooking – that’s when a fire can begin with devastating consequences.

“Always stand by your pan or better still if you’re on your way home from a night out stop at a takeaway.”

Nick Lake from MCR Students, the group which run the halls, praised the quick response of staff working during the night the fire broke out.

“Our facilities team responded as required, raised the alarm and carried out a textbook evacuation.

They deserve credit for their professionalism and it highlights the need for residents to take fire safety more seriously. MCR Students works closely with GMFRS to ensure the risks to residents are reduced and its properties are as safe as possible.

The damage was restricted to the one kitchen, with smoke damage in the apartment hallway. Testament to the construction of the building, the actions of our team and the quick response of GMFRS.”

Monday night also saw residents evacuated from Wilmslow Park halls of residence after a smaller fire broke out there.

For a free Home Safety Check, which could include the fitting of smoke alarms please call Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service on 0800 555 815 or visit www.manchesterfire.gov.uk.

Sean Doherty

Sean Doherty

News Editor

More Coverage

Nearly half of student gamblers are gambling more than they can afford

The majority of students (60%) had gambled in the past 12 months, although this was a decrease from last year (71%) 

Pro-Palestinian student groups occupy Simon Building in protest against University

Manchester Leftist Action have occupied the Simon Building to protest alleged University connections with Israel, along with students from UoM Rent Strike and Youth Front for Palestine

Nominations for Students’ Union Awards 2024 now open

Students can nominate themselves or others for the awards, which fall into four separate categories, with each award having its own awards night

UNiDAYS announce opening of Student Woman of the Year competition

The UNiDAYS-run competition aims to support female students who are making a difference and offers a £10,000 first prize for entrepreneurial initiatives