JOIN USOly Pub, one of the oldest pubs in the city, was gutted in a fire on late Monday night, leaving hundreds of patrons forlorn.
The smell of charred wood and smoke has replaced the aroma of perfectly grilled beef steak, kebabs and chicken a la Kiev wafting from the resto-pub, standing solid in the middle of the city’s party district on Park Street.
After the fire ravaged the first floor of the pub, whose walls, ceiling and floor werwooden, the pub authorities downed the shutters. Police say the fire broke out around 12:30 am.
However, nobody was injured as the pub was closed on account of Muharram. Preliminary investigation pointed to a short circuit as the cause, said fire officials. Around 10 fire tenders were pressed into service.
A section of regulars believes that since the pub was being successfully run for years by an employees’ cooperative, its prime real estate value might have had something to do with the incident.
An employee told Deccan Herald on Wednesday that those who stayed back inside the pub noticed the fire too late.
“The first floor was entirely gutted. Fire fighters managed to stop the fire from spreading to the ground floor. We’ve been forced to close down since the electric company has disconnected the supply. We’re not sure when we will be able to reopen,” he added.