15 February 2024 , 13:44
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A Morrisons was evacuated following fears of a fire today as specialist teams attended the scene.
Emergency services were pictured outside the supermarket in Leeds city centre. It is thought specialist firefighters and paramedics were at the scene, though it is unclear how many people, if any, were injured - but the emergency services confirmed no one needed attention at hospital.
Specialist Detection, Identifying and Monitoring fire officers, who deal with potential hazardous chemicals and substances, were also at the scene, it is believed. Footage shared on social media shows a significant presence of emergency service vehicles scrambled in a large operation.
A spokesperson for Yorkshire Ambulance Service said: "We received an emergency call just before 11am on Thursday morning to report an incident in the Merrion Centre, Leeds. Our Hazardous Area Response Team was dispatched to the scene and has now been stood down. There were no patients associated with the incident."
A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "We were called at 10.31 to a building fire at the Merrion Centre in Leeds. Two crews from Leeds and one from Hunslet are in attendance at the scene." The fire services also confirmed the supermarket had been evacuated for safety.
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People on social media have expressed their shock at the emergency, passing their thoughts on to shoppers. One woman posted on Facebook: "Hope no one was hurt." Another said: "Terrible, I often shop there."
A spokesperson for Morrisons since said: "We can confirm our Merrion Store has reopened after a refrigeration unit triggered an alarm this morning. All customers and colleagues were safely evacuated from the store."
The Mirror has contacted each of the other emergency services, including West Yorkshire Police, for comment.