The team behind Kingswood Bar and Restaurant have thanked the community for their messages of support and kindness, following a devastating fire that broke out at the venue overnight, writes Tom Howe.
The blaze, believed to have originated from the kitchen at the site in London Apprentice, prompted a large response from emergency services during the early hours of this morning (Friday, April 26).
Fire crews from St Austell and Mevagissey were first on-scene after the call went out at 01:56 BST, and were soon joined by colleagues from Truro, St Dennis, Fowey, Lostwithiel, Launceston and Perranporth.
Devon and Cornwall Police officers were also present, with a road closure put in place while necessary steps were taken to tackle the fire – which lit up much of the building’s roof – and clear the subsequent damage.
A statement, issued by the Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service, read as follows: “Two appliances from St Austell and Mevagissey responded to this incident as well as a wholetime officer.
“On arrival a fire involving a restaurant kitchen was discovered. Crews made pumps six and requested the attendance of the aerial ladder platform from Truro.
“Additional resources were mobilised to the incident from St Dennis, Fowey and Lostwithiel.
“Specialist vehicles including the Incident Command Unit from Launceston, the Operational Support Vehicle from St Austell and the welfare vehicle from Perranporth also formed part of the attendance.”
The statement went on to announce that the incident was ‘scaling down’ but that ‘crews will continue to monitor the situation throughout the day’.
CHAOS Radio understands that a fire investigation team is to visit the site to survey the damage and determine the cause of the incident, while emergency service workers were briefly hampered by a large electricity cable which hangs over the restaurant and a call to National Grid was required to switch off local power supply.
A spokesperson for Kingswood Bar and Restaurant, speaking exclusively to CHAOS Radio, described the scene as ‘heartbreaking’ but praised the ‘exemplary’ actions of the Fire and Rescue Service.
They continued by saying that there were people in the building at the time, although the alarm service and evacuation protocols ‘worked perfectly’ and were ‘observed properly’.
Kingswood, which has built a remarkable reputation over the past 18 months, would be back ‘stronger and better’, they concluded.
James Mustoe, Cornwall Councillor for Mevagissey and St Austell Bay, kept the public up-to-date with the latest information throughout the morning via his Facebook page.
“My thoughts are with the team at the Kingswood Restaurant this morning after the devastating fire last night,” he said. “Thanks to the fire service for your work through the early hours.
“The B3273 has now reopened but there is still a lot of firefighting apparatus on site. I’ve been asked to ask drivers to please drive with care if passing by.”
That message was repeated in a statement from St Austell Community Fire Station, which read: “Due to an ongoing incident, please drive with extra caution through London Apprentice and obey signage. Thank you.”
Owners Thomas and Nicola-Jane Bradbury have developed Kingswood since purchase in 2011, transforming a small restaurant with the addition of a ten-bedroom hotel to an already popular establishment, which has a 4.5 rating out of 5 on Tripadvisor (based on 1,782 ratings and reviews).
Kingswood is listed #4 of 62 restaurants in St Austell and their rooms five out of five (22 reviews), making it #3 of 8 inns in St Austell.
For more information, visit Kingswood Bar and Restaurant.
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