Fire prevention officers have spoken to Chelmsford Odeon staff after 15 filmgoers were ushered through a fire exit into choking smoke.

It happened on Tuesday evening as hundreds of people were being shepherded from around the blazing The restaurant and wine bar 25 feet away.

Much of the town centre was blanketed in smoke fanned by the wind as fames engulfed the building, which was only opened in December.

The filmgoers eventually banged on a rear door of Pizza Hut at the end of an alley and were escorted to safety by a firefighter.

Filmgoer Andy Francis said: "We were watching Green Mile when the screen went blank and a message said, 'Please leave by nearest fire exit' -- there was only one in our particular auditorium. The door was opened by a member of staff and, once we were outside, it was closed again.

"It did not look as though there was a fire until we turned a blind corner. Then we walked into dense smoke and could not tell where we were.

"We edged down an alley and some people tried to climb a wall on to another restaurant roof. We had thought it was a fire in the cinema. No one told us anything. We could not see a thing and it was hard to breathe."

A spokesman for Odeon Theatres said on Wednesday: "A fire prevention officer visited the Chelmsford cinema this afternoon.

"Odeon takes all matters of staff and customer safety very seriously and welcomes any advice the fire prevention officer wishes to give, and will act upon this advice."

The end: Wine bar The goes up in flames.

Picture: STEVE CLOW

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