Moka in Fishergate forced to close temporarily after "freak electrical fire" tears through cafe bar

Fire crews from Preston, Penwortham, Fulwood and Bamber Bridge battled a blaze at Moka in Fishergate at around 9.30pm last night (Tuesday, June 4).

The fire service was alerted to the blaze after a member of the public reported thick, black smoke escaping from the building.

Six fire engines attended the fire, which is believed to have been caused by an electrical fault on the second (top) floor.

An aerial ladder platform from Hyndburn was also deployed to help fight the fire at its source on the top floor of the city centre building.

Firefighters had to smash through the restaurant's front entrance to gain access to the burning building, which was empty at the time.

Management said the electrical fire tore through the prep kitchen and stock rooms on the top floor, damaging a number of walk-in fridges.

The rest of the building, including the ground floor, has also suffered considerable smoke and water damage.

The fire service confirmed that the building has not suffered any structural damage.

Fortunately, the building was empty at the time and no injuries were reported.

Moka confirmed early this morning that it will be closed for "the next few days" to allow repairs to be carried out.

“We had a freak electrical fire and this has caused damage to our walk in fridges and has affected our top floor prep kitchen and stock rooms. So for the next few days we will be closed", said management.

“We would like to thank everyone for their support and we hope to be re-opened by the weekend.

“A big thanks to the firefighters in containing the fire. The damage could have been worse. No-one was in the building at the time, so everyone is safe."

“Steve the owner appreciates everyone’s concern and the main thing is to open as soon as possible for all of our devoted customers.

"So the next few days we will be pushing hard with the team to get Moka up and running again."

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) began scaling back operations at around 11pm, after the fire was brought under control.

Five of the six crews were stood down at around 2am, but one fire engine remained at the scene overnight for precaution.

A fire service spokesman said: "Firefighters used four hose reels, one jet and one hose to extinguish the fire on the third floor of the building.

"One fire engine remained at the scene overnight. No injuries were reported and the cause is now under investigation."