By Lisa Ramsden
A NEWCASTLE businessman, who woke to discover a blaze was tearing through his premises, says he and his family are indebted to the firefighters who rushed to help.
Still coming to terms with what happened at the weekend, Jack O’Hare said he is “heartbroken” that the family business of over 50 years has been seriously damaged.
But he has vowed to reopen his seafront business as soon as he possibly can. “We owe it to our fantastic customers and staff,” he added.
Fire crews from as far away as Belfast were involved in tackling the blaze, which broke out in the kitchen, and which was spotted just after 6am on Saturday.
Both floors of the Central Promenade complex – which includes O’Hare’s and Hugh McCann’s – sustained significant damage.
“It’s nothing that can’t and won’t be fixed, and I can tell you now, we will be back up and running again as soon as we can,” its owner emphasised.
Speaking about the sense of shock and helplessness he felt as he stood watching the scene unfold, Jack said: “Seeing it like this has been beyond devastating and shocking for our family.”
Jack, whose daughters are the fourth generation of the family to be involved in the business, said he and his team “will forever be grateful” to the crews who battled the blaze and ensured the buildings were saved.
He added their “swift” response and “knowledge”, coupled with “their courage, dedication and efficiency helped prevent what could have been a far more devastating situation.”
“We are incredibly grateful for the hard work of the firefighters, what they did early on Saturday was exceptional. Things could have been way worse, if it wasn’t for their speed and skill,” he said.
Admitting the past few days had been a whirlwind of emotions, Jack added that he is equally indebted to his staff, and the wider community, including businesses, who have inundated him with offers of help.
Speaking on Monday night, shortly before the business shared online its heartfelt thanks to the community and emergency services for their help and support, Jack said the events that unfolded early on Saturday were in stark contrast to what had been planned for the days ahead.
“We were looking forward to the rugby, to celebrating Mother’s Day and, of course, Saint Patrick’s Day. I went to bed thinking of the great few days ahead, of what was in store, but woke to something very different, and, of course, we are heartbroken; it’s devastating,” he said.
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