Portswood restaurant destroyed in fire

Burger group 7bone's Portswood restaurant in Southampton was destroyed in a fire that broke out on Friday evening (8 July).

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service was called shortly before 7.30pm and 14 fire engines and additional specialist vehicles were involved at the height of the incident.

Restaurant staff were praised by the fire services for doing "an excellent job" in evacuating the 17 diners safely and ensuring the cooking appliances were isolated.

The cause of the fire is as yet undetermined, but not thought to be suspicious. Due to the risk of further collapse, fire investigation officers haven't been able to get inside to work out a definitive cause, but were hoping to return to the scene to gather more evidence once the building was made safe.

7bone has 12 other sites across the country. A statement on the group's website said it was "incredibly sad" that the restaurant would remain "temporarily closed for the coming months" following the blaze.

Incident commander Rob Cole said: "Our teams worked incredibly hard in hot conditions to aggressively fight the fire and prevent it from spreading to the adjoining premises.

"Throughout the incident we worked closely with our Hampshire Constabulary colleagues who closed off the surrounding roads.

"I'd like to thank the local businesses who provided our crews with refreshments throughout the incident on a humid evening."

Photo: Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service