Angle-grinding act sparked nightclub blaze

An angle-grinding stage act caused a fire in an Essex nightclub on Sunday, the club said. The fire started in the ceiling of a stage area at the Liquid and Envy club, on Basildon's Festival Leisure Park, just before 02:00 GMT.



More than 1,000 people were evacuated from the scene. One man suffered burns to his lower arms in the fire. A club spokesman said angle-grinding "entertainment" would not be used until the fire investigation has concluded.

It is understood the nightclub had featured podium dancers, fire breathers and angle-grinders during the night. Firefighters brought the fire under control within about 15 minutes. Crews then used a high-pressure fan to clear the nightclub of smoke.


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Carl Sautereau, head of customer services at The Luminar Group, which runs the club, said: "It is understood the incident occurred during an angle-grinding performance, which is a common form of entertainment in many nightclubs. As a precautionary measure, until the investigation has concluded, we will not be using this form of entertainment in any of our venues."