Arndale Market to reopen for the first time following fire

The Arndale Markets will reopen this lunchtime for the first time following a fire last week.

Fire crews were called to the Arndale shopping centre at 4pm on Friday afternoon (November 10) after a fire broke out on one of the stalls in the south side of the market hall.

The blaze led to a full evacuation of the centre which lasted around 90 minutes. The market area has remained closed since whilst essential repairs were carried out.

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The markets will now reopen later today, with popular stalls like Pancho’s Burritos, Little Piece of Bahia and Viet Shack all expected to trade as normal. Two stalls still affected by fire damage will not open.

Announcing the reopening of the markets, Cllr Luthfur Rahman, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council, said: "Thanks to some quick repair works by our teams this week we are pleased to confirm that the Arndale Market will reopen today (Thurs 16 November) following a fire last weekend.

"The sprinkler system has been reactivated and the space has undergone a deep clean - and all but two businesses will be able to start trading again immediately.

"The remaining two units have some outstanding repairs which are being managed by the Council and they will be supported to open as soon as possible.

"Safety is always paramount for both visitors and businesses alike, and we'd like to thank traders again for their patience during this time."