Bury St Edmunds: Restaurant Fire
17 June 2012, 06:00 | Updated: 17 June 2012, 11:08
A restaurant in a historic building in Bury St Edmunds town centre has been left gutted by a major fire overnight.
The fire service in Suffolk say that Strada restaurant on The Traverse has collapsed inside causing extensive damage.
It started adjust before 9pm last night and took until the early hours of this morning to put out and the fire service will remain on the scene this morning.
Part of the town centre had to be sealed off whilst sixteen fire crews tackled the blaze in the Cupola House where the restaurant it based.
At the moment it is believed the fire started in the basement of the building before spreading.
Just before the midnight, fire crews had to be pulled back after it became apparent there was a serious risk of the building collapsing inside.
Station Comm. John Illingworth with Tasha Jones
Police Officers are assisting with cordons and road closures to ensure fire personnel can operate safely and no members of the public are put at risk. A small number of businesses are unable to open for safety reasons.
Skinner Street, The Traverse, Buttermarket and Cornhill are currently closed to vehicular traffic. There are also road closures on Guildhall Street at the junction with Churchgate Street; Woolhall Street at the junction with St Andrew's Street South; and Abbeygate Street at the junction with Buttermarket.
The town centre remains open to pedestrians with restrictions on Skinner Street and The Traverse, the majority of businesses are operating normally.
