What we know so far after fire at 7Bone in Portswood Road, Southampton

Around 75 firefighters raced to Portswood Road as a fire tore through 7Bone Burger Co Southampton.

Thick black smoke billowed into the sky at around 7.30pm

Crews from across Hampshire

According to Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, there were 14 engines from across the county on the scene initially.

READ MORE: Recap as firefighters tackle blaze at Southampton restaurant

The blaze has destroyed the site of the popular burger outlet and caused damage to the former Richmond Inn next door, which is currently unoccupied.

Crews worked late into the night to contain the fire and remain on the scene this morning.

Damage to the 7Bone outlet in Portswood Road, Southmpton.

Traffic diverted

Police closed off Portswood Road at its junctions with Alma Road and near Brookvale Road as emergency services dealt with the situation.

Both motorists and pedestrians were directed away from the area, however, the route has since reopened.

Firefighters in Portswood Road on July 8, 2022.

What happened?

Around 75 firefighters were scrambled to tackle the blaze which involved stations from as far away as Cosham.

According to St Mary's Fire Station watch manager, Peter Larcombe, an engine was stationed in the area all night.

WATCH: Videos show 75 firefighters rushing to put out restaurant blaze

Work has been underway to make the site secure and safe.

The cause of the fire is still unknown, however, an investigation is due to be launched today.

7Bone in Portswood Road damaged following a fire.

Counting the cost

The roof at 7Bone has collapsed with crews working throughout the night to prevent the fire from flaring up again.

The site is cordoned off this morning with the restaurant extensively damaged.

The emergency services report that no one has been injured.

A crew from @Cosham23 left @7bone_dive just as I arrived earlier this morning. The roof has collapsed and there is extensive damage to the interior😞 @dailyecho pic.twitter.com/8Ikw4Uzy7S

— Tom_DailyEcho (@TDailyecho) July 9, 2022

Praise for firefighters

Incident Commander Rob Cole gave credit to the crews involved in the operation on Friday.

He said: “Our teams worked incredibly hard in hot conditions to aggressively fight the fire and prevent it from spreading to the adjoining premises.

“Throughout the incident, we worked closely with our Hampshire Constabulary colleagues who closed off the surrounding roads."

Firefighters working to contain the blaze at 7Bone in Portswood Road

In a statement, he thanked local businesses which provided firefighters with refreshments throughout the "incident on a humid evening”.

A spokesperson for 7Bone praised the restaurant team for doing a "great job of acting quickly and getting themselves and customers out safely with no one hurt".

PHOTOS: Huge fire service response to 7bone restaurant fire in Southampton

They also gave a "huge thank you" to the fire and rescue services "who were amazing, battled and got the blaze under control".