| |
Devastation: Sea Shell |
Stars’ fish and chip favourite ‘will reopen’
A FAMOUS fish and chip diner gutted by a fire may take months before it can open its doors again.
Dozens of people were evacuated when a blaze broke out at the Sea Shell restaurant, Lisson Grove, just after 5pm on August 13.
More than 40 firefighters, many wearing breathing apparatus, battled the flames for three hours as the fire spread across four floors, destroying half the restaurant’s ground floor and affecting ducting all the way to the fourth.
No one was hurt.
Stefano Porceddu, 27, barman at The Perseverance pub in nearby Shroton Street, was on duty when the fire broke out. He said: “Before the fire brigade arrived, we saw some smoke pouring out into the street. We went outside and saw that there was a lot of thick smoke coming out from the basement cellar. We couldn’t see flames from outside, but there was a horrible smell of burning oil, and people were being evacuated from the restaurant.
“When I walked past the restaurant at 2am, there was still a lot of foam in the street and they were boarding up the windows and doors of the restaurant. It’s an old celebrity haul. It’s always very popular and you often see long queues forming outside to get in.”
The diner, which has been open since the 1970s, is popular with celebrities, including comedienne Ruby Wax and Liza Minnelli.
The management team at the Sea Shell said that they have not fully assessed the level of damage caused but hope to open the restaurant again as soon as possible.
The fire brigade is still investigating the cause. |
 |
|
|
| |
| |
