Horrifying video footage shows terrified customers fleeing for safety after sparklers set shisha bar alight

Harrowing footage shared for the first time shows the moment a shisha bar in Rusholme went up in flames in May after an indoor sparkler attached to a cake set roof decorations alight.

The huge blaze came just months after an almost identical incident which saw New Year's Eve celebrations end in catastrophe. Revellers raced to escape from popular city centre bar One Eight Six, on Deansgate, after sparklers set fire to balloons and decorations on the ceiling.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) has now released the more recent distressing footage from the shisha bar in Rusholme to highlight the dangers of how quickly fires can spread ahead of the busy Halloween, World Cup and Christmas party season.

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After the blaze at the shisha bar on Wilmslow Road on May 27, two people were taken to hospital with suspected burns, but no serious injuries were reported. Scenes descended into chaos as customers burst out into the street, where a cordon was put in place by emergency services as the fire was tackled.

And in the early hours of January 1, as thousands flocked to Manchester city centre to welcome in 2022, around 170 terrified customers who had just counted down into the new year were quickly evacuated when the sparklers also decorations alight. Screams and loud popping noises could be heard as burning bunches of balloons fell to the ground and the revellers ran for safety.

The owner of the exclusive bar previously said in a statement that the main room was 'completely destroyed' in the blaze, as a huge emergency services response raced to the scene in the early hours. Two men were taken to