Bar owners 'amazed' by support after major city fire

A bar owner whose business was destroyed in a fire said the support his family has received has been "amazing".

The Grade II listed home of bar and restaurant Escobar, in Market Street, Nottingham, was severely damaged in the fire on 5 October.

Police arrested two boys, 12 and 14, on suspicion of arson following the blaze, which started in the roof.

Brothers Yuvraj and Jazz Singh, who jointly own Escobar, were forced to close the bar after it was left with smoke and water damage.

The fire started shortly before 23:00 BST and led to large-scale emergency response involving about 60 firefighters.

A number of people were evacuated from the building and surrounding roads were closed into the following afternoon.

Yuvraj, 24, said he was alerted to the fire in the building by city centre patrols.

"I could see the flames coming through the building, there was a lot of smoke.

"There was a lot of emotion going through us at the time," he said.

With emergency services busy dealing with the fire, Yuvraj and his family had no choice but to drive home and wait for further information.

He added: "When you're looking at something that your family has built, you're just hoping for the best.

"It was a very hard night for us as a family. A lot of questions, a lot of uncertainty about what would happen."

The bar owner said he had hoped the ground floor, which was home to Escobar, would be mostly unaffected.

However, when they were allowed access to the business a few days later, it was clear to Yuvraj that was not the case.

"Having seen from the outside the state of the building, you expected the worst," he said.

He said the bar and restaurant's ceiling had "come apart" and everything in the restaurant had been damaged, including all of the furniture.

While going through a "lengthy" insurance process, Yuvraj said they launched a crowdfunding campaign to help with "operational costs", including paying staff.

He added they had also received the support and well wishes of fellow independent businesses in Nottingham.

"To be honest I wouldn't have expected to get this much support from the community," he said.

"Even our fellow independent businesses, they've shown us so much love and support.

"It's been amazing. It shows you that Nottingham can come together and that independent businesses do support each other as well, which is nice to see," he said.

For now, Yuvraj said he and his brother did not have a timeline for reopening the business.

"We're just taking it day by day and step by step at the minute," he said.

He added: "You have to keep positive, keep your head and up and just hope for the best."

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