A fire destroyed a historic seaside pier on the west coast of England on Monday, July 28. The Grand at Weston-super-Mare was a well-known and iconic destination for travelers and holiday-goers for more than a century along the English coastline. But it is no more after a devastating fire that reduced the pavilion to cinders.
The pier received historical protected status in 1979 and was Britain’s Pier of the Year in 2001. It had recently been purchased by investor and entrepreneur Kelly Michael, who had invested nearly $2 million US this year and opened in April. According to news reports, the pier had been busy with nice weather over the past few days.
James Bladon, a spokesman for the Avon Fire and Rescue Services, said that the fire was reported at 6:46 a.m. At the height of the blaze, there were 13 trucks and 100 firefighters on the scene. “The area where the fire broke out was a commercial kitchen and that will be one strand of the investigation,” he said. “The building itself has been completely destroyed. There is nothing left.”
In a statement, Mr. Michael said he would “work tirelessly to restore this magnificent structure to its former glory.”
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