A fire delayed a League Two game after fans had to be evacuated onto the pitch

Exeter's League Two clash with Carlisle in England was allowed to resume after a 45-minute delay because of a fire scare at St James Park.

Nine minutes into the game Exeter posted on their official Twitter account the game had been stopped because of a fire drill before adding that smoke had been seen coming from the back of the Stagecoach Stand.

The Grecians posted a picture on their Instagram account showing fans from that stand taking refuge on the field while the incident was addressed.

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Carlisle's official Twitter account posted a video of fans congregating on the field, adding the fire engines had arrived on the scene.

Carlisle continued to post updates on their Twitter account, adding a picture of a firefighter in the stand but adding: "Exeter are hopeful of getting the game restarted soon."

VINE: Evacuated onto the pitch for safety reasons at Exeter #cufc https://t.co/hqubnW037m

— Carlisle United (@officialcufc) March 12, 2016

But after a lengthy delay, Exeter posted an update, saying: "The players are back in the ground and have now returned to the tunnel.

"City players back out on the field and warming up now. All okay here folks!"