The co-owner of a Mandurah bar that was damaged in an early morning fire last week has vowed to reopen as police continue investigating the suspicious fire.
Bar Therapy co-owner Marie TeAu said she was “shell-shocked” after the early morning fire gutted the business last Tuesday.
“It’s destroyed basically the whole bar area and half the roof,” she said.
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READ NOW“With the smoke damage and water and all the rest of it, it’s not pretty at all.
“We’re still a bit shell-shocked, but at the end of the day we will rebuild.”
Firefighters were called to the fire just before 5.30am last Tuesday and it was extinguished about 6am.
Police last week said arson squad investigators would examine the scene and try to pinpoint the cause of the fire.
The popular bar, located close to the Mandurah Bridge, is also a part of local history, starting life as the historic Tuckey House, built in 1928 on part of the site of the Tuckey-family owned Peel Inlet Preserving Works.
Ms TeAu and her son and business co-owner Jiah Minifie posted a video to the venue’s Facebook page last week after the fire to share how they were feeling, address rumours about the fire spread on social media and post photos of the damage caused.
“No, we’re not bikies, no our pot plant did not spontaneously combust ... and, no, it wasn’t an insurance job because our business was failing either,” Ms TeAu said.
She said many comments online were positive and thanked the community for their “amazing” support.
The blaze has left 11 staff members out of work, but Ms TeAu said other local hospitality businesses had reached out to let her know where positions were available.
Ms TeAu said it was unclear how long it would take and what work was required to reopen the bar as the damage continues to be assessed.
She said the best way for the community to support their reopening effort was to visit their other restaurant, the nearby Little Stiller Distillery, where they have been able to accommodate some of their workers.
“The local music community is sorely impacted as well, because we’re a live music venue and all those bands that were booked in, we were booked in right through ‘til the end of June,” she said.
“The house band from Bar Therapy that play on a Sunday from 2.30pm, they’re going to be playing every Sunday at Little Stiller,” she said.
“Come and support us at Little Stiller.
“The busier we are, the more staff we can take in and work it out that way.”