A fire engulfed a merchandise stand outside Etihad Stadium as fans gathered before Manchester City’s Champions League home game against Club Brugge on Wednesday.

The fire started in the kiosk near the stadium’s main entrance just before 18:00 GMT as fans gathered for a presentation of the club’s new January signings on a stage.

The event was halted and the area evacuated by stewards and security staff before the fire service arrived and quickly extinguished the blaze.

It is not yet know if the fire will affect the game’s kick-off time of 20:00 GMT.

It was announced at 18:22 that fans could enter the stadium, but three entrance gates inside the area cordoned off because of the fire were still closed.

In a statement released just after 18:30, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said its firefighters were still at the scene and are “currently dampening down any hotspots and making the area safe”.

The presentation had already started when the fire broke out, with women’s players Rebecca Knaak and Aemu Oyama on stage at the time.

Men’s players Omar Marmoush, Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov were set to follow them.