A huge fire broke out at one of Bristol's biggest tourist attractions yesterday (April 9).
Black smoke billowed out of We the Curious and could be seen for miles across the city, while flames soared from the building's roof. Fire alarms blared out while firefighters and police attended the scene shortly after 2pm.
Nearby buildings were evacuated and a number of road closures were put in place, including Anchor Road. Officers temporarily closed the fairground on Millenium Square while firefighters got the blaze under control.
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After around an hour, firefighters managed to extinguish the fire after using cranes to get above the fire that was coming from the roof of the building while members of the public watched it unfold from afar.
We've rounded up everything we know about the inferno that soared through We The Curious yesterday.
What was the cause?
The station manager for Avon Fire and Rescue Service told us that the cause of the fire was the solar panels on the roof. Jason Edwards spoke to Bristol Live at the scene of the fire just before 3.45pm, and said: "Earlier on this afternoon we were called to a fire in the building behind, and when we arrived we found the flames coming from the solar panels on the roof.
"That has then affected a portion of the roof until we were able to establish a water supply and crews in to extinguish the fire."
Were there any casualties?
It was confirmed that everybody was evacuated and accounted for. When Avon Fire and Rescue Service arrived at the scene, police officers were already there and in the process of evacuating the building.
Mr Edwards added: "When we arrived the police were in there and they had already been evacuating the building. We quickly established that everybody was clear and nobody was then in any danger inside the building."
It was later confirmed by We The Curious is a statement that the site was evacuated and all staff and visitors were accounted for.
What was the damage?
A statement released by We The Curious on their website confirmed that they sustained fire and water damage due to the fire. Some of the key server systems were also affected by the blaze.
Therefore, they're currently without phone and email systems.
What was the statement issued by We The Curious?
The tourist attraction released a statement yesterday evening following the dramatic events and confirmed its closed today (Sunday, April 10).
The full statement said: "At approximately 2pm on Saturday 9 April, a fire broke out on our roof. Avon Fire & Rescue Service and the police arrived quickly at the site and dealt with the fire; all our staff and visitors were evacuated safely.
"Our building has sustained fire and water damage, and some of our key server systems are also affected, so we’re currently without our phone or email systems. We’ll be closed on Sunday 10 April whilst we assess the damage and make a plan for the next few days, so we’ll post further updates on this page once we know more."
"We’d like to say a massive thank you to our incredible staff for their hard work and dedication today, to our visitors for their understanding, and to the Avon Fire and Rescue team and police for their swift action. We’d also like to say a big thanks to Bristol Hotel, SS Great Britain and Bristol Old Vic for supporting our wedding party today."
When was the incident over?
We The Curious confirmed that the building was handed back to them at around 5.35pm yesterday evening.
Visitors and staff were able to retrieve their possession from the venue after the fire service had safely extinguished the fire and confirmed it was safe to re-enter the building.
Anchor Road was temporarily closed while crews dealt with the incident, but the road was re-opened by 6pm.
Investigation
Avon Fire and Rescue said it would carry out a joint investigation with the police once the site had been made completely safe.
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