The fire which broke out on the roof of We The Curious disrupted a wedding yesterday afternoon (April 9) - but firemen were able to save the wedding cake and photos which were of sentimental value. The blaze prompted a major emergency service response and smoke could be seen billowing across the city centre, but one couple's big day was also affected.
In the aftermath of the fire, groom James Leggett took to social media to say that the building caught fire before the ceremony with wife-to-be Amy could take place. He wrote on Twitter: "Didn't *quite* get married, the venue caught fire as I was waiting for the guests to arrive...", and shared a picture of himself in his wedding suit, with the smoke column in the background.
However, he also thanked the fire service for their thoughtful actions as they saved the items. He wrote: "Thank you so much for your guys efforts yesterday, the day was an absolute whirlwind of emotions and when we heard the pictures and the cake had been recovered, and then saw the firemen walk round the corner with it, was just indescribable. Thank you so, so much."
Read more: We The Curious fire: Everything we know about the major blaze
Bridesmaid Grace Williams also took to social media to thank the fire service, and wrote: "Thank you to the amazing firefighters who salvaged the untouched wedding cake from the reception room from what should have been @Leggett84 wedding (at We The Curious) had it not been for the fire. They salvaged old photos with huge sentimental value too. Thank you!"
We The Curious also thanked the fire service, while they added that several other Bristol venues were able to accommodate the wedding party following the blaze. In an update on their website, they wrote: "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." The museum remains closed today after solar panels on the roof of its building caught fire at about 2pm.
Anchor Road was closed off by police and was not reopened until 6pm, while Millennium Square was evacuated. All staff and visitors inside We The Curious were evacuated safely when the alarm sounded, but the building has sustained fire and water damage, leaving them without phone or email systems.
