South Devon seafront café owner in shock after fire

A cafe owner has said she is in shock after a fire at her seafront business in South Devon.

Tamara Costin, owner of the Beachhouse between Hope Cove and Thurlestone, said she was “devastated” and it was “only just the beginning of what would have been a very busy season”.

According to Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, the blaze started at the café at about 05:50 BST on Friday.

Fire crews from Kingsbridge, Salcombe, Modbury and Plympton are at the scene and said the building was “well alight” when they arrived.

Ms Costin told the BBC she did not know what had caused the fire, but thought it could have been power related following a power cut on Thursday.

Operational resource manager Pete Watts, for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We were called just before 06:00 with a confirmed fire in the cafe.

“On arrival, our first crew from Kingsbridge were faced with quite a significant fire that was well developed and fully involving the cafe.

“Crews have worked hard to extinguish the fire but as you can see, the building has been destroyed.

“Water supplies did cause us a slight issue this morning.”

He added: “The cause at the moment is unknown but it will be investigated.”

The land affected is owned by the National Trust.

A spokesperson for the charity warned people to “stay away from the remains of the building”.

They added: “Our thoughts are with the tenants, employees, and customers who love this cafe.

“We are committed to supporting to get the business back up and running as soon as possible.

“We’re grateful to the fire services for their efforts in managing the situation. The cause of the fire is not yet known and is under investigation.”