A fire which badly damaged the kitchen in a downtown Tauranga restaurant last night is believed to have started in a deep fryer.
Firefighters were called to the Bombay Brasserie Indian Restaurant in Wharf St about 6.25pm after reports of smoke coming from the business came from patrons across the road
at Settlers Bar.
Tauranga Fire Brigade senior station officer Phil Price said firefighters arrived to find the windows blackened and the restaurant, which was closed at the time, smoke-logged to the floor.
Firefighters forced their way in the locked front door and made their way to the kitchen at the rear of the restaurant, where they found the blaze.
"It wasn't a big fire but it had been burning for quite a while," said Mr Price. "It was a matter of minutes before it would have taken the whole restaurant."
The fire extensively damaged the kitchen while the main restaurant was damaged by heat and smoke. The blaze also melted a plastic water pipe causing water damage to the room.
Mr Price said the owner of the restaurant, who did not wish to be interviewed, had been gearing up for a group of 60 tonight, but the restaurant would be in no state to open. He understood the restaurant owner was insured.
Firefighters spent about two hours at the business removing part of the kitchen to ensure the fire had not spread into the walls.
The empty offices above the restaurant were not damaged.
A fire safety officer was due to carry out a full investigation into the cause of the fire today.
The restaurant was not fitted with a smoke alarm but the fire activated the burglar alarm prompting the security company to respond.
Three fire trucks, one each from Tauranga and Mount Maunganui Fire Brigades, along with the Tauranga Volunteer Fire Brigade attended, causing Wharf St to be blocked to traffic until about 8pm.
The last truck left the scene about 8.30pm.
