King’s Walk Café in Grantham closed after electrical fire causes smoke and water damage

A café has temporarily closed after an electrical fault led to a fire.

Firefighters from Grantham station responded to the incident at King's Walk Café off Grantham’s Guildhall Street at 2.28pm, on Saturday (September 7) afternoon, using breathing apparatus and a hose reel to extinguish the blaze.

The fire was contained to the third-floor office and storage area, causing smoke and water damage, but thankfully, no one was hurt.

In a statement on social media, café owners Mark and Leza expressed their relief that no staff or customers were affected.

However, they confirmed that the café would remain closed until the damage to the flooring and electrics is assessed and repaired.

"We are absolutely gutted," they said.

"All staff and customers were unaffected, which is the main thing, and it is just cosmetic damage.

"Thankfully, it was contained to the third-floor office and storage area but has impacted the flooring and electrics due to water and smoke damage, which need checking and replacing before we are able to open again."

An assessment of the damage is expected to begin on Monday (September 9).

"We apologise for any inconvenience, and our main priority is to get our staff back to work and serving you all again as soon as possible," said the statement.

The café has already received numerous supportive comments on social media after announcing its temporary closure.

Many commenters expressed relief that no one was hurt, with phrases like "glad everyone is safe" and "thank goodness you are all ok" recurring throughout the responses.

People shared their sadness about the situation and their hopes for a quick reopening.

Several regular customers mentioned their fondness for the café, with Andy Dann humorously requesting that his usual chair be left outside for him, and others emphasised that they looked forward to returning once the café reopens.

There was a strong sense of community support, with assurances that customers would be back as soon as the café was up and running again.