Chris Smalling's hot tub catches fire whilst Manchester United defender is playing poker - firefighters called to blaze

The England defender was unhurt

Simon Rice
Wednesday 13 May 2015 10:42 EDT
Comments
Chris Smalling and a hot tub
Chris Smalling and a hot tub (GETTY IMAGES)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Firefighters were called to the home of Manchester United defender Chris Smalling last night after his hot tub caught fire whilst he was out playing poker.

An official suggested that an electrical fault caused the blaze, which occurred in the garden of the England international's home in Bowdon, Altrincham.

A statement from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that a crew from Altrincham Fire Station had attended after police initially reported the blaze.

The statement added that: "There was nobody in the house at the time of the incident."

It's understood that Smalling was playing poker with friends when the fire broke out. He posted a photograph on Instagram earlier in the evening which read: "Lads Night! #pokernight #championsleague."

Watch manager Stuart France said: "Police were in the area when they spotted smoke and reported a fire to our control centre. When we arrived it was quite a large fire involving a jacuzzi and decking, which could have easily become something more serious.

"The police officers who were at the scene used a garden hose on the fire and when we arrived we extinguished it using a hose reel."

He added: "The most likely cause was an accidental electrical fault."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in