FIREFIGHTERS were called to The Lime Crab in New Quay following reports of heavy smoke coming from the building on July 21.
At 8:21am, crew members swiftly put on BA equipment and found an entrance point while establishing hydrants and a water source.
As the firefighters approached the determined entry point, it was apparent that thick smoke had filled the premises from floor to ceiling, rendering the visibility to zero.
As all occupants had exited the building, the decision was taken to tackle the fire externally, ensuring the safety of the crew.
They vented the building and tackled the fire through windows using hose reel jets until it was safe for the crew to enter the premises.
With the arrival of further appliances, additional BA crews could be utilised and the incident was eventually brought under control.
The firefighters continued to monitor the incident using thermal imaging cameras to locate hotspots. They also used hose reel jets to dampen and remove loose tiles that remained on the damaged roof.
After roughly 8 hours, the incident was temporarily closed down and the fire crew returned to the station.
They made a scheduled return to the incident at 18:30 for final safety checks, at which point the incident was closed.
New Quay Fire Station thanked staff at the Blue Bell Deli & Bistro, The Mariners Cafe and Gingero’s Cafe for supplying sandwiches and coffee for the firefighters.
The Lime Crab posted to Facebook: “To all our customers…
“Firstly, we would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has reached out to us today.
For those of you that haven’t heard, unfortunately a fire broke out this morning in the building. Most importantly nobody was hurt.
“The Lime Crab will reopen when it is safe to do so. Unfortunately we don’t have a time frame on this yet, but we will keep you updated as things progress.
“A massive thank you to our emergency services (who are mainly local volunteers) for the most amazing job they did for keeping the building secure and most importantly the people around it safe. We cannot thank you enough for all your hard work 🙏
“And again, another massive thank you to all our staff, locals and businesses who have offered their help and support, it really means a great deal to us all.”
