A fire at a civic bar in Auckland early Wednesday morning is being treated as suspicious, police said.
Happy Boy in Royal Oak went up in flames around 5 p.m. This was the second time in a month that the restaurant was hit by a fire.
Josh Lochan, who owns the civic bar with his mother, said he was “absolutely devastated.”
“I heard about the fire, and I was like, ‘Man, it’s bad to be in Royal Oak now.’
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“Then I saw an email saying it’s my building … I drove straight on, I was like, ‘Holy crap, again!'”
About 20 firefighters were called in to put out the blaze.
Nathan Morton / Stuff
Fire damage in the trash area at the back of Happy Boy burger eatery, Royal Oak.
Martin Campbell, fire and emergency controller, said damage indicated the fire was widespread.
A worker next to the eatery says the fire started in a trash can behind the store. A black charred wheel holder could be seen outside the garden seat.
On Wednesday morning, glass could be seen strewn outside the store. The windows were black and there was fire damage to the tables inside.
Te Awhina Ropitini was in the area on her garbage can before dawn when she saw the flames.
Anna Burson / Supplier
A fire broke out at a Royal Oak building on Wednesday morning.
“All I felt was the heat, it came through my window. I felt it on my face, “she said.
“I panicked – I was on the phone with a family member at the time. I rang to call the fire department. “
Ropitini parked her truck across the street and ran over to help.
“I borrowed McDonald’s cones and barred the car that was parked until the firefighters arrived,” she said.
The fire was extinguished around 6 a.m., with firefighters arriving shortly after 8:30 p.m.
A police crime unit arrived at about 10:20 p.m.
Wednesday’s fire was a double blow for Happy Boy’s Josh Lochan. He would find out the insurance value for the first fire, but now that claim was lost.
“Today was meant to be the day we found out everything. It was meant to be a very big day for us in terms of knowing what will happen next, ”he said.
“Everything has now been thrown out the window. We will have to start all over again, ”he said.
The fire comes a day after an industrial building fire broke out about 4km away in Penrose at Hitech Disposals.
According to its website, the company provides safe waste disposal services for documents, products and equipment.
Residents have received an emergency SMS alert warning them to stay indoors around 5:30 p.m.
The fire is now subject to a fire and emergency investigation to determine what caused it.