Fire crews investigated a blaze at the old Portland Hotel. No one was hurt, but the cause remains unclear.
Firefighters investigated the fire’s cause with police. They couldn’t figure out exactly how it started. The fire service sent several trucks to Dickinson Street, and an aerial ladder also went to help.
Luckily, nobody was inside when it burned. Police closed London Road at Ascot Drive and Deadman’s Lane due to the fire. Police asked drivers to find other ways to go.
The garage was behind the pub in a courtyard. A gate from Dickinson Street led to it. The gate had a big hole. It is unknown if the fire made the hole.
Inside the garage, there was lots of trash. Monitors, furniture, barrels, and mattresses were all there. Many items were burned up in the fire. The building was built in the late 1800s and served the city’s railway workers.
For years, this spot was a popular pub that was formerly run by breweries and pub companies. The pub closed in 2015 and then became a store called Enzo Ceramica. That store closed in 2018.
A company wanted to make it a care home in 2019, but the plan for 27 rooms stopped. Someone bought the building again after that. In 2023, the city approved new plans to turn it into four apartments that would be homes for multiple people.