Fire rages outside Champions League final stadium as smoke engulfs Istanbul
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A huge fire has been seen raging outside of the Ataturk Stadium ahead of the Champions League final.
Terrifying scenes emerged in Turkey two hours before Manchester City and Inter Milan kicked-off in their blockbuster clash.
Various journalists and fans attending the Champions League final shared photos and videos of huge smoke blowing outside the ground.
The blaze appeared to be as a result of a burning building in close proximity to the stadium.
READ MORE: Champions League final fans face nightmare queues for shuttle buses before kick-off
Reporter Miguel Delaney shared a photo of the smoke visible from the stadium press box on his Twitter, before saying he had seen several fire engines making their way to the scene earlier.
New York Times writer Rory Smith reported the fire stemmed from a nearby factory, claiming that firefighters arrived to tackle it two hours earlier.
The highly-anticipated final is scheduled to kick-off at 8pm UK time – or 10pm local time in Istanbul.
Istanbul famously held the 2005 Champions League final, which saw Liverpool mount an iconic comeback from 3-0 down against AC Milan to claim the trophy.
However, that game was held at the Olympic Stadium, with the 75,000 capacity Ataturk only becoming a major player since its 2020 renovation.
Yet things went far from smoothly from the travelling City and Inter fans on Saturday.
More to follow.
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- Champions League
- Manchester City FC
- Inter Milan FC
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