A BELFAST seafood restaurant has been forced to close its outdoor area after it was destroyed in a blaze in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Mourne Seafood Bar, located on Bank Street, is a popular city centre-based hotspot for food lovers. The restaurant’s outdoor area is particularly busy during the summer months – but has been forced to close due to the fire. The PSNI have confirmed it is treating the incident as arson.
Bob McCoubrey, owner of Mourne Seafood Bar, told the Andersonstown News, he received a call with the news of the blaze at 6am on Wednesday morning.
“Thankfully, no one was hurt,” he said. “I don’t think this was malicious. We are waiting to hear back from the police with more information and about CCTV footage.
“The summer is the time where we need the outdoor area.”
The outdoor area has been destroyed
A PSNI spokesperson said: "It is believed a bin was set alight, which spread to a gazebo and a store at around 4:40am on Wednesday morning.
“Officers attended alongside colleagues from the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service who extinguished the fire. This is being treated as arson.
“Enquiries into the incident are ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101.”
Widespread support from the general public has garnered for the business across social media including political representatives and local businesses.
City centre-based restaurant Fish City tweeted: "This is absolutely awful. Business is tough enough without having to deal with this. If there’s anything we can do, just let us know.”
The inside area of the Mourne Seafood Bar remains operating as normal with the outside area closed for the foreseeable future.
