The owners of a restaurant building in a village near Welshpool say they have been left "heartbroken" after a fire broke out in the kitchen this morning.
A blaze broke out at The Raj of Forden just before 6am on Friday, January 13, the fire service said. Fourteen firefighters were sent inside the building wearing breathing apparatus to help control the fire.
It is understood that, thankfully, nobody was hurt.
Newtown Fire Station manager Rob Luke, who was leading the incident, said the fire was "large and complicated" and there would be "significant" repair work ahead for the owners.
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The Raj of Forden owner Match Rahman was left devastated by the fire at his restaurant which has been serving Indian cuisine for four years which locals describe as a "hidden gem".
The Cock Inn, which includes the Indian restaurant, has been run by a local family for many years. They said they were "heartbroken" by today's events. It is not yet clear when the restaurant will reopen however the owners are hoping the bar will reopen in time for the Six Nations rugby tournament.
Pictures taken this morning in the building showed extensive damage inside the kitchen after firefighters doused the roof fire.
A crew member from Llanfair Caereinion Fire Station said that the blaze was "very difficult" to access in the roof and extraction system inside the restaurant's kitchen.
The fire is believed to have been caused by an extraction tower which was blown over by last night's stormy weather with gusts this morning recorded at almost 40mph.
The tower had then caused an electric fault within the kitchen and ignited a fire in the insulation inside the roof space, SM Rob Luke added.
A fire crew from Newtown, Montgomery and Llanfair Caereinion and two from Welshpool rushed to the restaurant after receiving a call just before 6am. Fourteen firefighters used breathing apparatus and four hose reel jets from five fire appliances that were sent to help put out the blaze. Crews left the scene and arrived back at their stations at around 12.30pm.
SM Rob Luke added that following extensive flooding in the area, the crews from Welshpool had to travel a longer route to the emergency while the airport road remains closed.
Crews dealt with four flood related incidents yesterday (Thursday, January 12), three of which were people trapped in their cars in flood water.
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