In a day of unfortunate luck for the pub industry, two fires have caused extensive damage to both Bimbo Deluxe in the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy and to the Ben Lomond Alpine Hotel in northern Tasmania.
A fire started in an office on the upper floor of Bimbo Deluxe, a Colonial Leisure Group venue, just after 1am yesterday morning. The fire then spread to the ground floor. Twenty-four fire-fighters attended the blaze. Fortunately, due to the time of the fire, no one was in the building.
In a statement, Colonial Leisure Group explained the cause of the fire, and stated that the venue will be shut for a few months as the damage is repaired.
“It’s a sad day for all lovers of cheap pizzas, cold beer and good times.
“The boring details; the fire was caused by faulty office equipment and is in no way suspicious. Thankfully, no staff or patrons were on site when the fire broke out. The extent of damage is still being assessed.
“On the bright side, Bimbos will BRB with a less charred fit in the next few months. We’ll be coming back with a bang, so keep your eyes on the society pages for our big reveal.”
Ben Lomond Alpine Hotel
A few hours earlier, a fire had almost entirely razed the pub portion of the Ben Lomond Alpine Hotel situated at the top of a very popular Tasmanian ski field. There was also some damage to the accommodation portion of the hotel.
Fire crews were called to the scene of the blaze at 10:30pm. No one was injured.
Staff are said to be devastated, and the cause of the fire is currently being investigated. While a fire would have been bad news at any time, it comes as a particularly hard blow at the start of the ski season – the busiest period of the year for the hotel.
In a statement on Facebook this morning, the hotel’s operators thanked everyone for their support, and committed to rebuilding the pub.
“Thank you again to everyone who has reached out to us on social media, in person, and on the phone, it’s not gone unnoticed and is very much appreciated. We’d like to say our own thank you to the Tasmania Fire Service, Tasmania Police and the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service for their support, guidance and hard work.
“Rest assured, we WILL rebuild and although we can’t ever replace the original pub, we’ll do our very best to build a great new place for punters to enjoy and create many, many new memories!
“Stay tuned, it won’t be the last you see of the Ben Lomond Alpine Hotel this 2018 season!”