KFC reopens at Preston Docks after 24 closure due to kitchen fire
The KFC restaurant at Preston Docks has reopened 24 hours after a fire gutted its kitchen.
A blaze at KFC in Port Way forced the fast-food outlet to evacuate customers after a cooking range caught fire at around 8.15pm on Tuesday, March 26.
The restaurant remained shut until 9pm on Wednesday, March 27 to allow the fryers to be repaired and gas safety checks to be completed.
Staff at the fast food outlet said it is "business as usual" today.
In a statement yesterday, a KFC spokesperson said: “We are in the midst of fixing the fryers and are speaking with the gas board to get the all clear before we open.
"We’re hoping to be back up and running later this evening.”
Four fire engines tackled the blaze and crews had to use oxygen masks to enter the smoke-filled diner restaurant.
A spokesman for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said: "Four fire engines from Preston, Bamber Bridge and Penwortham were called to a commercial fire on Port Way, Preston.
"When firefighters arrived at the scene they found a fire involving a cooking range and the property was moderately smoke logged.
"They used four breathing apparatus and one hose reel to extinguish the fire."
No injuries were reported.