A cafe was destroyed in a huge explosion which left flames pouring out into the street.

The owner of the Emerald Cafe on Rochdale Road in Harpurhey, Manchester, was taken to hospital with burns following the fireball.

He was not believed to be seriously injured. No-one else was hurt.

Emergency services said he had been ‘very, very lucky’ not to have been more badly injured.

The cause of the blast, just after 3pm on Saturday, is still being investigated but it is believed to have initially begun as a chip pan fire.

Electricity and gas supplies in the area have been isolated as a precaution.

WATCH: Aftermath of cafe explosion

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Council engineers were at the scene tonight, inspecting the buulding.

The owner, who has not yet been named, tried to tackle the chip pan fire but began to flee as it got out of hand.

The explosion happened as he was about to leave the cafe - which was empty at the time.

Tracey Davenport, 43, who lives near the cafe, dashed out of her home when she heard the explosion.

Explosion at cafe in Harpurhey
Explosion at cafe in Harpurhey

She said: “It was a really loud bang. I ran out and there were huge flames and the entire front of it had collapsed.

“I saw the the guy who’d ran out of the cafe collapsed on the floor.

“It’s a miracle he wasn’t killed.”

The fire service incident commander, group manager Phil Nelson, said investigators will be working on discovering why the incident was so severe.

He said: “There may have been other factors involved.”

Several fire engines attended the incident and firefighters are still at the scene tonight.

Mr Nelson said: “We’ve isolated the gas and electricity services making sure it’s safe for crews to enter and search the property.

“Chip pan fires wouldn’t normally cause so much damage so other factors might have been involved.

“It was extremely challenging for the crews when they arrived as they didn’t know if anyone was trapped.”

WATCH: Pat Karney talks about the explosion

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue said: “Four fire engines from Blackley, Manchester Central and Philips Park attended the explosion in a mid-terrace café, along with the technical rescue unit. Firefighters using hose reels and wearing breathing apparatus tackled the blaze.”

Coun Pat Karney, who uses the cafe, said he would be calling for a safety review on all the shops and premises in the area.