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A Christchurch bar suffered major damage and a nearby motel had to be evacuated after what is seen as an accidental fire early in the morning.
New Zealand Fire and Emergency spokesman Daniel Reilly said four teams responded to the fire at The Fitz Sports Bar, at the corner of Fitzgerald Ave and Cashel St, at 5 a.m. Friday.
The flames were clearly visible from the roof of the building when crews arrived, Reilly said.
Steven Walton / Stuff
Emergency services entered the bar shortly before 8.30 am on Friday.
The fire was contained at 6.30am.
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Most of the fire was near the kitchen area, but it was unclear how far it had spread, Reilly said.
Steven Walton / Stuff
C-Motel manager Raymond Sim says about 29 guests had to leave the building around 5 a.m. as a precaution.
Fitz owner Dean Baldwin said the fire had “completely destroyed” the bar and that it would be closed for “some time.”
“The roof has fallen, there is six inches of water running through the place, the televisions have melted from the walls, it is screwed.”
Fire investigator Bruce Irvine said the fire was considered accidental, but the exact cause had not yet been determined.
He said the fire was a reminder for business owners to check all their equipment and make sure they have enough security systems monitoring their facilities.
The C-Motel on Cashel St was evacuated by the police as a precaution.
Manager Raymond Sim said police woke him up around 5 a.m.
“When [police] They were hitting, I thought I was a drunk [people],” he said.
“As soon as I got out, I opened the door, I could smell the smoke and feel the smoke all around.”
Stuff
Four teams responded to the fire at the Fitz Sports Bar.
He could see flames on the roof and thought it looked like “a pretty big fire”.
Sim said 29 people at the C-Motel went to a nearby motel until they were allowed to return to their rooms just before 8 a.m.
Fitzgerald Ave and Cashel St were initially closed, but both roads were fully reopened at 9.30 a.m., a spokesman for the Christchurch Transportation Operations Center said.
