By Alex Butler
Image: Unite Students
Last Monday night, Manchester Fire and Rescue services were called to Unite Students Parkway Gate, a private student accommodation block in the city centre, to attend to a fire which had broken out in a store room on the ground floor. The fire, which broke out in the late hours of the evening, was attended to quickly by rescue services, with no-one injured. It is believed the blaze was started accidentally. The building’s owners, Unite Students, cater for students across the country and have several buildings in Manchester.
In the aftermath of the incident, student residents of the building claimed that some of the high rise block’s alarms did not seem to be functioning, leaving students seemingly vulnerable. Some students have taken to twitter to declare their anger with Unite Students:
https://twitter.com/lottie_kemp/status/920172919518527488
Some have even claimed that other students had refused to believe there was a fire and failed to evacuate the building, one even claiming that a flatmate had slept through the whole ordeal.
A spokesperson from Unite Students has confirmed that the claims about inactive fire alarms were being investigated and that student safety was paramount: “The safety of our students and employees is of the utmost importance and we are currently investigating the cause of the fire with Manchester Fire and Rescue.” The fire alarms, which are connected to an internal Alarm receiving centre, is manned constantly and Unite students “routinely work closely with experts from local fire services to make sure these are effective.”
Unite Students recently closed their Sky Plaza property in Leeds over concerns of exterior cladding after the Grenfell Tower disaster. The Grenfell fire, which claimed an estimated 80 lives and injured 70 others in June, instigated a growing concern over fire safety in modern and refurbished high rise buildings.
By Adam Taylor It’s time to post your top artists to show how cool and different you are. Spotify Wrapped for 2025 has finally dropped. This stat-loaded list of listening habits gets everyone excited, revealing top artists, songs, podcasts, music genres, and hours listened – which can be a bit concerning… Spotify adds new features…
Featured image: Suzy Hazelwood aAh! Magazine’s Literature and Creative Student Editors are delighted to announce our first online call for submissions for the 2025/26 academic year. This series invites creative writing students and visual artists to respond to the theme ‘Hometown’, offering the opportunity to showcase their work online. Manchester is a hometown for thousands, and simply…
Featured image and photography: Beck McNally Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield – a name that many Mancunian music-lovers will know well, died on 20 November this year. No official cause of death has been released to the public. The renowned bassist of The Stone Roses, and later Primal Scream, was a hugely influential musician – particularly in…
Featured image: Manchester City CouncilBy Adam Taylor and Amy Corringham Winter is approaching, but don’t let the cold and dark days stop you getting out and about – aAh! has gathered a selection of events for all budgets for you and your friends to enjoy. Get into the festival spirit with a variety of activities…
Leave a reply