Manchester Evening News

SHOPPERS FLEE FROM ‘RAGING INFERNO’

HUNDREDS ALSO EVACUATED FROM HOMES AFTER HUGE BLAZE AT SUPERMARKE­T

- By KATIE BUTLER

A HUGE fire broke out in a supermarke­t as horrified customers shopped.

In the aftermath of the ‘inferno’ at Wing Fat in Beswick, firefighte­rs were unable to confirm if all the shoppers had escaped the Gorton Road building safely.

Hundreds of people were forced to leave their homes on Ashton Old Road as the fire cast a plume of toxic smoke over parts of east Manchester.

At this stage it is believed the 15 customers who were inside the Chinese cash and carry fled the building safely as the fire rapidly took hold.

However, firefighte­rs have so far been unable to carry out a thorough search of the still-smoulderin­g building due to its dangerous condition. Images of the charred wreckage, released by the fire service, graphicall­y illustrate the intensity of the heat.

It may be several days before the authoritie­s are able to say for sure that none of the shoppers fell victim to the fire.

But all staff were accounted for and unhurt after the blaze, which has destroyed 90pc of the building.

The cause of the blaze has not yet been establishe­d, but it’s understood initial reports to the fire service described the roof being on fire.

One member of staff described the fire as a ‘raging inferno’ to the M.E.N.

“I was working inside and heard people shouting there was a fire”, he said. “Then all of a sudden it became really hot and we saw smoke so we all ran outside. Within about 15 minutes the whole place had gone up. The flames were big. It was a raging inferno.

“There had been 20 pallets of cooking oil delivered recently so that will have made the fire worse.”

Gas canisters were also inside the building at the time of the fire, it’s understood.

Motorists and fans heading to Manchester City’s League Cup match with Wolves at the Etihad Stadium last night were urged to avoid the area around Gorton Road and Ashton Old Road throughout the day.

Pictures showing grey smoke billowing as far as Ancoats, Gorton and Ardwick were widely shared on social media as locals were advised to keep doors and windows closed.

As the fire raged, Mohammad Naem, a local resident, said: “It smells like plastic. It is that bad I can’t see. It is hard to breathe.”

Cameron Kowalski, 34, who lives near the cash and carry, was one of the first to be evacuated from his home.

He said: “The smoke was billowing close to where my house was. The cash and carry was in flames. It was getting worse and worse. They closed my road off and evacuated us.”

The M.E.N. understand­s that no ambulances were called to the scene, and there were no reports of any injuries late last night.

Incident commander Tony Bryan said it could take several days until the whole building is searched due to the fragility of the building.

He said: “The owner of the property has confirmed several times that all of the workers were able to exit the property and has given me the all clear on the roll call.

“What we are uncertain about is we believe there were several customers in the property, and like any fire, we need to ascertain whether everybody has got out.

“We have liaised closely with Greater Manchester Police who are carrying out local enquiries in the local area to find out if anyone has been reported missing or knows anything further about these customers.

“We hope and we feel those customers have exited the building. However, the structural collapse, that is quite difficult for us because we have got quite deep debris of structural items which have all fallen in.

“The owner thinks there were between ten and 15 customers at the time (the fire broke out).

 ?? Pic: Steve Allen ?? Firefighte­rs tackle the blaze at Wing Fat
Pic: Steve Allen Firefighte­rs tackle the blaze at Wing Fat
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