We intend to bounce back says boss of burned bar

The man running The Lewis pub in Dundonald, which was spectacularly engulfed by fire on Thursday, has said he intends to try and restore it.
By The Newsroom
Published 1st Feb 2019, 13:44 BST
Updated 7th Feb 2019, 20:30 BST
The scene at The Lewis pub in Dundonald, east BelfastThe scene at The Lewis pub in Dundonald, east Belfast
The scene at The Lewis pub in Dundonald, east Belfast

Residents of the surrounding neighbourhood of Dundonald, on the eastern edge of Belfast, told the News Letter the pub had been there for generations and was a focal point for the community.

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Pub engulfed in flames ‘was the heart of our community’

It confirmed to the News Letter that the fire was being treated as accidental, though it has not confirmed the cause of ignition.

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The scene at The Lewis pub in Dundonald, east BelfastThe scene at The Lewis pub in Dundonald, east Belfast
The scene at The Lewis pub in Dundonald, east Belfast

It added that although the blaze (which was spotted shortly after 8am) was largely out by 5.15pm, its firefighters still remained at the scene for another two hours or so.

At its peak, about 30 firefighters had to be deployed to try and contain the blaze, which spread to a neighbouring terraced house.

No-one was injured.

The landlord of the pub (which used to be called Tom’s Cabin and then The Moat) is a Belfast firm called Osiris.

The scene at The Lewis pub in Dundonald, east BelfastThe scene at The Lewis pub in Dundonald, east Belfast
The scene at The Lewis pub in Dundonald, east Belfast

The tenant running the premises, Stephen McCombe, said in a short statement that he is “fully committed to restoring the Lewis to being the community pub and restaurant that it is known to be”.

A message on Facebook from the pub late on Thursday night read simply: “We’re not broken, just bent.” ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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