A CHINESE takeaway owner was left counting the cost yesterday after fire ripped through his Town premises. An estimated £10,000-worth of damage was caused by the blaze in the Panda Takeaway at North Plantation.

Hilario Andrade said he was cooking chilli chicken when the fire broke out at 10.40am.

‘I went into the back room and when I came back the chicken was too hot and caught on fire,’ he said.

‘The flames got really big, really quickly. The fire went from wall to wall very fast.’

Two fire appliances attended the scene and it took the crews about 15 minutes to get the blaze under control.

Extensive damage was caused to the takeaway kitchen and foyer while some of Mr Andrade’s personal items were also destroyed, including a PC.

‘I have just bought the new computer and that cost £2,000,’ he said. ‘In all I think it’s more than £10,000-worth of damage. I do not know what to say. I have insurance but it’s very upsetting.’

Although surrounding buildings escaped serious damage, both No. 19 record shop and La Cucina restaurant took in smoke.

Gillian Stringfellow, owner of La Cucina, said she did not know the extent of the smoke damage.

‘The fire crew just said there was smoke in the restaurant,’ she said. ‘It’s a relief the fire didn’t spread through. I will have to see about my bookings for tonight and I have hundreds of pounds worth of paintings on the wall. If I have to cancel tonight it will cost me a couple of grand but it can’t be helped.’

Marita Iverson, owner of the Randy Paddle, which is situated underneath the takeaway, said she was now waiting to see if there was any water damage to her pub.

‘There is nothing you can do about these things. I’ve got no idea what the damage is like until I’ve had a chance to look at it myself,’ she explained.

‘It’s the worst time of the week for this to happen because the weekend is our busiest time.’

Andy Mauger, spokesman for the Fire and Rescue Service, said that an investigation into the cause of the blaze had now begun.

He added: ‘There was smoke in the surrounding properties but we do not know how much damage has been done. We are not sure what caused the fire and a fire investigation will take place.’