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.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Poll: When should the tree go up? 🎄
From what we've heard, some Christmas trees are already being assembled and decorated.
What are your thoughts on the best time to get your Christmas tree up?
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4.6% Second half of November
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43.5% 1st December
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17.4% A week before Christmas
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33.3% Whenever you wish
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1.1% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite tomato recipe?
Kia ora neighbours. We know your tomato plants are still growing, but we're looking ahead to the harvest already! If you've got a family recipe for tomatoes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine to share with our readers. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our February 2025 issue.