Fire investigation officers establish cause of Hickory’s Smokehouse blaze

FIRE investigation officers believe a blaze which devastated a popular Black Country restaurant started accidentally.

After spending a week sifting through the debris of Hickory’s Smokehouse in Wall Heath, the forensic officers believe the fire was started by an electrical fault in a refrigeration unit

The Grade II listed building, formerly the Kingfisher Country Club, had a thatched roof and the fire, which started around 2am last Thursday (August 25) quickly took hold.

At its height, more than 100 firefighters from across the Black Country and South Staffordshire were involved in tackling the blaze.

Crews were still on scene dampening down the following morning in case pockets of fire started up again from the thatch, which had fallen through into the restaurant underneath.

Hickory’s Smokehouse, which only opened the new restaurant last November following an extensive refit, is hoping that the building can be salvaged.

In the meantime, a question mark hangs over the jobs of 65 people employed at the restaurant.

Hickory’s said in a tweet: “Thank you @WestMidsFire for all your hard work & professionalism. Your support and dedication has been uplifting during this difficult time.”