Fire causes 'extensive damage' to popular Westport restaurant
A popular restaurant in the West Coast town of Westport, Johnny’s, has suffered “extensive damage” after a fire ripped through the building on Wednesday.
Smoke could be seen billowing from the two-storey building on Palmerston St as five fire crews fought to bring the blaze under control.
Johnny’s owner John Lennon said he was relieved no-one was hurt.
“[We’re] still waiting for the fire to be [brought] under control, and then we can get an idea of what happened.”
Lennon and his wife, Janis, lease the downstairs part of the building where they set up Johnny’s about five-and-a-half years ago.
“Our kitchen is completely water and smoke damaged and the upstairs looks to be extensively damaged,” Lennon said.
Emergency services were called to the fire about 10.10am on Wednesday.
Palmerston St BP owner Raymond Gibson said he could see smoke coming from the building.
“I really feel for [the owners], they work really hard seven days a week,” he said.
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⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️