FEARS of an explosion after a garage fire caused travel chaos in Manchester city centre today.

Rail lines into Victoria station from Rochdale and Oldham were closed and some Metrolink services suspended.

Fire chiefs imposed a 200 metre exclusion zone around the danger scene in Dantzic Street, off Corporation Street, near the city centre after locating acetylene cylinders.

About 40 people were evacuated from a nearby block of flats after the fire was discovered at The Taxi Centre.

Assistant Divisional Officer, Ian Bailey, said: "The garage is in an archway directly beneath the rail network and Metrolink line to Bury.

"The blaze, which is being treated as suspicious, wrecked a black cab and acetylene cylinders inside are being hosed down.

Bus

"As a precaution an exclusion zone has been set up. Representatives from the gas service have been called in to help assist with the situation.

"The garage stretches a long way back and we had no option but to order the suspension of some services."

Metrolink duty manager, Kevin Linehan, said: "We have suspended our service from Victoria Station to Woodlands Road and the same service coming onto the city.

"Passengers can catch a special bus service from Victoria to Woodlands Road, from where the service to Bury is resumed.

"We have managed to lay on four buses from Woodlands Road, which are bringing passengers to Victoria.

"We have been warned by the fire service that the situation is likely to last for 24 hours."

Northern Trains said that Manchester Victoria-Rochdale via Castleton and Oldham would be served by shuttle buses as would Victoria to Stalybridge via Ashton under Lyne travellers. Stalybridge-Huddersfield passengers willl use a shuttle train service.

neal.keeling@men-news.co.uk

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