Fire service warns against barbecues in high rise buildings

Fire service warns against barbecues in high rise building

Residents living in apartment blocks are being urged to take extra care when using barbecues following two flat fires in Manchester in less than a week.

Firefighters were called to tower blocks in Manchester at 2.11am on Wednesday, 12 July and at 9.57pm on Thursday, 6 July after reports of balconies on fire.

On both occasions crews found barbecues had been used on the wooden balconies.

Station Manager Dave Baxter said: “Please only use barbecues somewhere flat, away from anything flammable and especially not on a surface that will catch fire. Always keep a bucket of water nearby just in case the barbecue gets out of hand and check barbecues are fully extinguished before leaving your flat or going to bed.

“Using a barbecue in your high rise building may invalidate your lease and cause significant damage to yours and others property. On these occasions crews quickly tackled the blaze before it had chance to spread, but in previous cases people have had to leave their homes for significant periods of time. Don’t make this same mistake.”

In both of the recent incidents, crews used thermal imaging cameras and other specialist equipment to ensure the fires were completely out.