MORE than 200 people were evacuated from Blackpool Tower after an arson attack.
A toilet in a takeaway within the world famous attraction was torched.
The ground floor building was filled with smoke, forcing staff to close the Tower and get everyone out.
Last night's drama unfolded just a couple of minutes before the show Le Clique – part of the Showzam! festival – was due to start in the Tower Circus.
Half-dressed cast members, staff and the audience were ushered out of the building as fire crews arrived to tackle the fire inside the branch of KFC.
When three fire engines from Blackpool and South Shore got to the scene at 8pm thick, black smoke billowed out of the basement of the takeaway, situated on the corner of The Tower complex on Bank Hey Street.
An area from the Tower Lounge to the former Woolworths building was sealed off.
There were fears that the fire, which started in the gents toilet of the takeaway, could spread.
Fire chiefs today confirmed the fire had been started deliberately and an arson probe was under way.
