| The firefighters arrived seemingly within seconds, and quickly got to work fighting the fire |
Wine bar owner praises firefighters for successfully tackling the blaze in his historical property
Richard Davies, who owns Rumours Wine Bar, in The Square Birchington, discovered the fire on Friday evening (November 6) and immediately dialled 999.
He said: "I was extremely pleased with the response of the firefighters - they arrived in what seemed seconds of me calling 999, and quickly got to work fighting the fire and keeping the gathering crowd of onlookers safe from harms way."
The fire began in accommodation above the bar, and crews quickly set about tackling the blaze, forming breaks to prevent the fire from spreading to the roof. At ground level, firefighters in breathing apparatus entered the building and covered the contents of the bar in protective sheeting. Furniture and property were then removed, saving it from fire damage.
At its height four fire engines from Margate, Thanet and Ramsgate, an aerial ladder platform and supporting vehicles attended the scene, with firefighters tackling the blaze using jets and Hose Reels.
| Firefighters in breathing apparatus entered the building and covered the contents of the bar in protective sheeting |
Mr Davies added: "Considering the age of the building, I thought the firefighters did brilliantly. The speed of their response was great - I was very pleased with their actions."
Margate Station Manager Mick Smith said: "Fires in buildings as old as this are renowned for spreading rapidly and can be very difficult to save, however the fire crews worked tremendously hard, and thanks to aggressive firefighting action and a well-coordinated salvage operation, they managed to save over two thirds of the building and most of its contents."
The cause of the fire is accidental. Rumours wine bar is currently closed while repair work begins, but Mr Davies hopes that it will re-open soon.