A fire which tore through a former nightclub on the iconic Mumbles pier has left the pier owners "completely devastated".
Fred and Bert Bollom are the third generation of the Bollom family to own the structure and they issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon as firefighters continued to tackle the blaze. The fire is believed to have started at around 11am on August 31 and smoke could be seen billowing across Mumbles and Swansea for miles around.
The two owners said: “As a family, we are completely devastated by today’s fire at Mumbles Pier. We are still trying to understand the cause of the fire, but we believe it started to the rear of the former Cinderella’s building and spread throughout the row of buildings on that side of our complex. Thankfully, the pier itself and the arcade appear to have escaped any damage from the fire." You can get more Swansea news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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They said they were "incredibly grateful" that no-one had been injured, adding: "This is in no small part due to our wonderful team who pulled together, kept calm and worked quickly to ensure everyone left the site safely. We want to sincerely thank each and every one of them.
“We also want to express our gratitude to the emergency services, particularly the fire service and police, for responding so quickly today. We will continue to work with them in their investigations and we will keep our customers updated about our situation in due course.” You can read more stories about Mumbles here.
South Wales Police said they were called at 11.30am to a fire at the pier. A spokesman said: "Local road closures have been put in place and the public is advised to avoid the area while the fire is being tackled."
An earlier statement from Mumbles Pier said: "Due to unforeseen circumstances the site will be closed from now until further notice. Sorry for any inconvenience caused."
Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said they were called to the scene at 11.09am with crews from Morriston, Tumble, Swansea Central, Port Talbot, Neath, Carmarthen and Cardigan all tackling the blaze
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