London: Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli was forced to escape an early morning blaze at his £3 million (Dh17 million) rented house on the eve of yesterday's top-of-the-table derby clash at Old Trafford.
Fire crews and police rushed to Balotelli's five-bedroom home in a select area of Cheshire after a blaze started when fireworks were let off in the bathroom at 1am on Saturday morning.
The latest incident to involve the controversial 21-year-old Italian will infuriate his City manager, Roberto Mancini, as he prepares the Premier League leaders for their crucial showdown with neighbours United.
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Balotelli was reported to have told club officials that he and four friends had been letting off fireworks through an open window at the house, which had been advertised for rent at £7,500 a month.
Bathroom towels were set on fire and the blaze spread but Balotelli has insisted that he did not cause the fire and that the offending firework was let off by his friends. A club spokesman said: "We can confirm there was an incident at Mario's house which the fire brigade attended. Nobody was injured and Mario trained as normal with the rest of the squad on Saturday morning. He spent Saturday night with the rest of the team at a hotel and is available to play on Sunday."
City were made aware of the incident on Saturday morning after Balotelli contacted the club's player care unit.
Two fire crews using breathing apparatus put out the blaze, which was described as "a substantial fire" on the first floor.
The property sustained serious fire and smoke damage and police on the scene prevented Balotelli from going back into the house to retrieve belongings.
A police spokesman said: "At just before 1am on Saturday we were called to a report of a fire at a residential home. Police provided assistance to Cheshire fire and rescue service as well as ensuring residents were accounted for and there was no danger to surrounding properties."
— Daily Mail
