A LARGE fire broke out in the ground floor of a Bournemouth restaurant on Saturday afternoon, as dozens of onlookers watched firefighters tackle the blaze.
Several police and fire crews rushed to Mimi’s African Restaurant in Charminster Road at around 3.30pm following reports of a fire believed to have started in the kitchen.
Dorset Police officers quickly shut the busy street, which was closed between Malmesbury Park Road and Shelbourne Road, causing traffic and public transport diversions.
Live updates: Fire breaks out at restaurant in Charminster Road, Bournemouth
At the scene, station manager Steve Ansell told the Echo: “We believe it started on the ground floor, but that is of course under investigation at this time. We’ve currently got five appliances and the aerial ladder platform from Westbourne Fire Station.
“Crews have committed both into the restaurant and the two either side to check for fire spread, and at this stage we can confirm that all persons are accounted for.
“We’re working hard on both sides – the main fire is out – but we’re just making sure that no fire has spread further.”
Residents and business owners all congregated either side of the cordon, watching intently as firefighters scaled onto the roof using the aerial ladder to ensure structural stability and check for fire spread.
Once the roof had been checked, crews could be seen to scale back with some packing their equipment into the several fire engines around the scene.
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