THE new owners of Salty's Restaurant in Yarmouth have vowed to battle back after the top half of the building caught fire yesterday (Tuesday).
Several fire crews attended the fire yesterday afternoon, which caused the town to be closed off to traffic.
Melanie and Ed Panek bought the restaurant at the beginning of the year and were ready to open for the Easter season before Covid-19 caused lockdown.
Melanie and Ed Panek, pictured earlier this year.
Melanie said: "It's ironic that on the day Boris Johnson said we could finally open on July 4 this should happen.
"It goes without saying that we're heartbroken and we hope the community will help us to rebuild and get back open as soon as possible.
"It looks like the fire was started by an electrical fault in the upstairs office and that spread to the kitchen at the side of it and the ladies toilet. We have lost a lot of the roof as well.
"Thankfully, apart from some smoke damage, the ground floor bar and restaurant just needs a good clean.
From Sandhard Beach, picture by Kae Carlstedt-Duke.
"We will be talking to the loss adjusters and will rebuild as fast as we can and, hopefully, reopen before the end of the summer.
"We can't thank the emergency services enough — they were on the scene so quickly and did a tremendous job.
"Thankfully, no one was inside at the time, our staff were in between shifts and the fire did not spread to our neighbours The Terrace and The George.
"We are determined to bounce back."
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