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UK athletics event delayed after arena evacuated

Alice Cullinane
BBC News, West Midlands
BBC A queue of people stand in the sunshine as they wait to get into the indoor arena. City tower blocks can be seen in the backgroundBBC
Spectators are queuing to get into the the arena after British Athletics said the start of the indoor athletics championships had been delayed by an hour

A UK athletics event has been delayed after an arena was evacuated following reports of a fire.

The Utilita Arena was cleared, leaving people on the street outside, as the fire service confirmed the blaze had broken out in a nearby flat.

British Athletics said that the start of the indoor championships was being delayed by an hour and would start at about 12:30 GMT.

West Midlands Fire Service said crews were called out after a cooker caught fire in the flat.

A British Athletics (BA) spokesperson said: "Spectators will experience a delay to the opening of the arena. There is currently no expected delay to Sunday's timetable."

In a statement on X, BA said the delay had been agreed "in order to athletes, officials and spectators adequate time to prepare for the day's events".

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