Coronavirus: Barbecue found on 34th floor of Manchester's Beetham Tower

A member of the public saw a flickering of flames and thought there was a fire at Beetham Tower

Firefighters called to the 34th floor of a skyscraper in Manchester were amazed to find a lit barbecue.

Six fire engines and an aerial platform were sent to Beetham Tower on Deansgate at about 20:00 BST on Tuesday after a member of the public reported seeing "the flickering of flames".

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said luckily "no harm was done" by the barbecue, which had been ignited on an enclosed balcony.

"Fire safety advice" was given.

"Don't under any circumstances have a barbecue on your balcony as this poses a real risk of fire, due to the close proximity of the buildings," said Assistant Chief Fire Officer Tony Hunter.

Crews left the 47-storey tower, which contains a hotel and apartments, after "giving the occupier fire safety advice".

'Homeless'

Mr Hunter said barbecues "can cause extensive damage to flats" and warned residents not to "put themselves and their homes at risk".

He warned GMFRS would work with housing providers and agents to ensure action is taken against anybody ignoring fire safety advice.

"Just five years ago, a flat fire believed to have been caused by a balcony barbecue at Wigan Wharfside left hundreds of residents homeless," he said.

"We are doing everything we can to prevent anything like this happening again but we need to ensure residents are doing the same."