Staff at a restaurant which was completely destroyed in a huge fire on Mumbles Pier have issued a defiant statement saying they will bounce back from the tragedy. The blaze completely decimated the popular Copperfish restaurant on the end of the pier, as well as the neighbouring community room that was formerly Cinderella's nightclub.
The restaurant, which opened on the pier five years ago, was reduced to rubble, with these shocking pictures showing the aftermath of the fire, which sent huge plumes of thick black smoke billowing into the sky over Mumbles on Wednesday, August 31. The day following the blaze, dozens of burnt tables and chairs could be seen on the floor of the destroyed restaurant, while the roof had fallen in with rows of glasses and alcohol bottles still on the shelves behind the bar.
Luckily, no-one was injured and, remarkably, the amusement arcade, Beach Hut cafe, RNLI base and the pier itself were all unaffected by the blaze. You can get the latest stories from across Swansea sent straight to your inbox for free with our newsletter.
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In a post on social media on Thursday evening, staff at Copperfish said they were "totally devastated" by the fire, which followed a successful summer for the business. They also expressed their relief that nobody was hurt in the incident, while also promising that the incident "will not be the end" for them.
"There aren’t many words to describe how we all feel right now," the post read. "Copperfish has been left totally devastated by the fire and completely destroyed. We were on such a high from such an incredible summer to then go to this.
"Of course, first and foremost we are so grateful no-one was hurt. But as we walked through the rubble today and we spoke to each other we know this tragedy will not be the end for us. We are resilient, we have THE best team, we are more then just bricks and mortar. It’s not goodbye but see you later. Take care everyone xox"
The fire has since been ruled as accidental following a "multi-agency investigation" into what caused it. Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, which attended the blaze for several hours on Wednesday, confirmed that no evidence was found to suggest that it was caused by a "deliberate or reckless act."
A service spokesperson told WalesOnline: "The fire has been established as accidental, caused by ignition of waste/refuse linked to the renovation of the building." Detective Inspector Gareth Jones of Swansea CID added: "The fire at Mumbles Pier has been reviewed by Swansea CID with no evidence, information or intelligence to support that the fire was a deliberate or reckless act."
The site is said to remain "unsafe" and members of the public are reminded not to trespass past the safety barriers, for fear of injury. The Beach Hut cafe and the amusements arcade at Mumbles Pier have since re-opened to the public, as the clean-up operation on the rest of the structure gets underway.
The pier's owners have expressed their gratitude to the fire service as well as their staff and the wider community for the support they've received. Co-owner Bert Bollom said: "Before anything else, I'd just to like to thank the emergency services and everyone who was involved in putting out the fire. They went above and beyond and we're really grateful for everyone's effort in it, the police have been wonderful.
"All my staff, I can't thank them all enough. That said, as a family and as a business we are mortified. Words can't cover how I feel at the moment. I'm so upset, it's something else."
Bert's brother, Fred Bollom, added: "I think we're really grateful for our staff as well. They cleared the site as quickly as they could. There's no issues, no injuries, so we're very thankful for that at the moment, and we just continue to assess the damage."
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