Four fire appliances have been called to a serious fire at a popular tourist fish and chip restaurant.

Firefighters were called to the Lime Crab in New Quay following reports of heavy smoke coming from the building.

Fire crews quickly donned breathing apparatus and established an entry point into the premises while other officers located hydrants and established a water source.

As the crew in breathing apparatus approached the entry point, shortly after 8am on Thursday, July 21, they could see that thick smoke had filled the cafe from floor to ceiling making it impossible to see anything inside.

Firefighters knew that there was nobody in the building and, in view of the severely visibility, they decided to tackle the blaze from outside the building to ensure the safety of the crew.

Crews vented the building and tackled the fire through windows using hose reel jets until it was safe to enter the premises.

With the arrival of more appliances more crew in breathing apparatus could be deployed and the fire was brought under control.

Once the incident was brought under control, three fire appliances left the scene with one remaining to monitor the situation and make the premises safe.

Crews continued to monitor the scene using thermal imaging cameras to locate hotspots and hose reel jets to dampen down.

They then then removed loose ridge tiles from the damaged roof.

After around eight hours the incident was temporarily closed down and crews returned to station.

They then made a scheduled return at 6.30pm for final safety checks.

“We would like to thank staff at the Blue Bell Deli & Bistro, The Mariners Cafe and Gingero’s Cafe for keeping us going with sandwiches and coffee during the day,” said a member of the New Quay fire crew.

The owners of the Lime Crab thanked the emergency services as well as others who had supported them throughout the incident.

“Unfortunately, a fire broke out this morning in the building. Most importantly nobody was hurt,” they said.

“We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has reached out to us today.

“A massive thank you to our emergency services (who are mainly local volunteers) for the most amazing job they did for keeping the building secure and most importantly the people around it safe. We cannot thank you enough for all your hard work.

“And again, another massive thank you to all our staff, locals and businesses who have offered their help and support, it really means a great deal to us all. “ The owners said that the The Lime Crab will reopen when it is safe to do so but as yet there is no time frame on this.