POPULAR RESTAURANT UP IN FLAMES

Popular Gisborne waterfront eatery Wharf Café Bar and Restaurant has been severely damaged by a fire that according to police was not deliberately lit.

Police communications manager Kris McGehan said the fire appeared to have started in the kitchen. Patrons at both the Wharf establishment and the Lone Star Restaurant, that also shares the waterfront site, were evacuated. The cause of the fire is yet to be understood. Photo: Gisborne Herald.