Man City: Fire Shifles Kiosk at ETIHD before Champions League -tips

A fire enveloped a merchandise stand outside Etihad Stadium as fans gathered before Manchester City’s Champions League home match against Club Brugge on Wednesday.

The fire started at the kiosk near the main entrance of the stadium just before 18:00 GMT, as fans gathered for a presentation of the club’s new January signings on a stage.

The event was stopped and the area evacuated by stewards and security staff before the fire department arrived and quickly extinguished the fire near the entrance to Colin Bell West Stand.

It’s not yet knowing if the fire will affect the game’s kick-off time of 20:00 GMT.

Government of the Premier League Champions City has to win the match to reach the competition’s play-off round.

It was announced at 1 p.m. 18:22 that fans could enter the stadium, but three gates of entry inside the area were shielded due to the fire was still closed.

“The security of all participation in the match tonight is our highest priority, and as such, all events planned for West Stand reception have been canceled, including the welcome event for new players and the first team’s arrival,” City said.

In a statement released just after 6:30 pm, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said its firefighters were still on stage and “is currently damping all 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.