Restaurant owners ‘in tears’ after building burns

The owners of a restaurant have told of their heartbreak as they watched the premises burn to the ground.

A Facebook post detailed how the owners of Little Italy in Dumfries “stood helpless” as the fire tore through the property.

Emergency services were called to the scene on Moffat Road at about 2:16amyesterday.

About 30 firefighters were at the scene at the height of the incident.

A post on the restaurant’s Facebook page said: “Sitting here in tears telling you all that Little Italy burned to the ground in the early hours.

“Thankfully no one was hurt, watching it burn while we stood helpless was heartbreaking.”

More than 450 people have posted messages of support on the page.

Police and the fire service will carry out a joint investigation into the cause of the blaze.

A police spokesman said: “At this time no one appears to have been injured, however the restaurant has been severely damaged as a result of the fire.

“Moffat Road was closed for a number of hours but has since reopened.

“Police remain at the scene and joint police and fire service investigation into the cause of the fire will be carried out in due course.”