Waihola's sole watering hole went up in smoke yesterday
morning in a blaze that has rocked the close-knit community.
The family who own and operate the Lake Waihola Tavern say
they are stunned by the fire that has extensively damaged the
property.
They hope, eventually, to rebuild and continue operating in
the lakeside township where the pub acts as a focal point.
Authorities are not treating the fire as suspicious but say
it is too early to determine the exact cause.
No-one was inside the building when the fire broke out.
A cleaner, who left about 7.30am, later told her managers
everything was fine then.
The alarm was raised less than an hour later.
Incident commander Alan Tapp, from the Milton Volunteer Fire
Brigade, said the tavern was well alight when the first fire
crews arrived.
Five appliances and a water tanker were used and more than 20
firefighters were involved in tackling the blaze, which took
about 20 minutes to control.
Mr Tapp believed the fire had started in the kitchen area.
The blaze caused extensive damage to the tavern's kitchen
before being extinguished about 9.45am.
The Reid family bought the business nearly three years ago.
Watching firefighters dousing the tavern, Annette Reid said
she was "absolutely devastated".
Mrs Reid said the premises was fully insured and the family
was waiting to hear from insurance assessors before deciding
what to do.
The family enjoyed working and living in the community, which
strongly supported the tavern.
"We've got a wonderful community here," Mrs Reid said.
Police closed State Highway 1 while firefighters tackled the
blaze.
Traffic was diverted for about three hours, with the road
reopened about 11.30am.
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