Tavern fire caused by electrical fault
An iconic 50-year-old tavern in Palmerston North caught fire because of an electrical fault, the fire service says.
Much of the Cloverlea Tavern was burnt to the ground last Saturday, when flames ripped through its Tremaine Ave premises.
Eight crews fought the fire from outside the pub as it started to collapse.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand’s Manawatū-Whanganui assistant commander, Craig Gold, confirmed that the blaze was accidental and caused by an “unspecified electrical fault”.
The fire began just after 2pm, and patrons and staff were able to escape uninjured. It was brought under control about 4.30pm but caused significant damage to the building, which would need to be demolished.
On Thursday, investigators were still at the site, and a digger was lifting up the roof for “investigation and insurance” purposes.
They were unsure when the demolition would take place.
The incident drew large crowds of people who watched on and shared memories of nights out at the pub.
A video showed large plumes of black smokes pouring into the air while large orange flames licked the sky. Gold said it was quite an intense blaze and several sections of the building had given way.
Corey Governor was there when it started and said there were about 20 people inside the bar at the time. “The guy came out a bit flustered, and we didn’t know if we were meant to take it seriously or not, but he said, ‘No – fire, fire, fire.’
“And then we started to see the black smoke come out from in the kitchen area.”
The Manawatū Standard has reached out to the owner for further comment.