Manchester cafe explodes after chip pan fire, leaving owner with burns

'I ran out and there were huge flames and the entire front of it had collapsed'

The cafe was reportedly popular with the local community (Google)

A man in Manchester has been left with burns after his café exploded.

The Emerald Cafe on Rochdale Road in the Harpurhey area was destroyed after a chip pan fire got out of hand.

The owner, who has not been named, reportedly tried to extinguish the fire but was making his escape from the building when the blast occurred.

“It was a really loud bang,” neighbour Tracey Davenport, 43, told the Manchester Evening News. “I ran out and there were huge flames and the entire front of it had collapsed.

“I saw the guy who’d ran out of the cafe collapsed on the floor. It’s a miracle he wasn’t killed.”

He escaped serious injury, suffering just minor burns. There were no customers or other occupants in the building at the time of the incident.

Fire fighters turned gas supplies to nearby buildings off and investigators are now looking into what caused the explosion.

Local councillor Pat Karney, who used to frequent the café, said the incident was “very serious” and that there “could have been many casualties”.

Mr Karney said it was the second serious fire in the area recently and added: “We need a full investigation”.

Four fire engines and a technical rescue unit attended the scene and traffic was diverted. By Saturday evening, the number of vehicles was reduced to just two.