Carnegies Restaurant in Fairlie damaged by early-morning fire

Carnegies Restaurant on Allandale Rd in Fairlie. Photo / RNZ / Rowan Quinn

By RNZ

A restaurant in southern Canterbury is severely damaged after a fire.

Fire crews were called to Carnegies Restaurant on Allandale Rd in Fairlie about 6.30am today.

The building was found in flames.

A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesperson said five fire trucks and a support vehicle were still at the scene four hours later.

The fire had been mostly extinguished by 10.30am, but not before it destroyed much of the restaurant’s ceiling.

An RNZ reporter at the scene said the smell of smoke permeated the small town.

Fire and Emergency said nobody was inside the building at the time, and a fire investigator was working to determine the cause.

– RNZ