VIDEO: Inside Mansfield curry house cooked by blaze

The fire took hold yesterday afternoon (Thursday, March 10). Image courtesy Paul Potter.

Owners said the fire started in the kitchen while staff were preparing food, and carried on up through the building, destroying a room on the top floor as flames were carried up the extraction system.

Marie, a supervisor at the restaurant said: "There was an electrical fault with the chip pan and the grease set on fire."

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And she explained that the fire services had "ripped the wall off" to access the extractor fan - which runs from the kitchen to the top of the building. She mentioned that smoke escaped from the top window of the building.

She added: "The extractor fan runs all the way up to that window and obviously the grease and stuff has gone up there has caught fire.

"All the top has gone."

The fire broke out around 4pm while people were working. No one was injured in the incident.

People reported seeing smoke and flames coming from The Mint on Clerkeson Street shortly after 4.30pm.

A spokesperson for Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “Firefighters from Mansfield and Ashfield were called to a two-storey property on Clerkson Street, Mansfield at 4.38pm yesterday.

“The fire was initially located on the ground floor and had spread to the first floor and some ducting. A total of six breathing apparatus wearers used hoses and thermal imaging cameras to extinguish the fire. They then damped down and made the area safe.” They had dealt with the incident by 6.22pm.

Station Manager Matt Reavill said: "This was a fire that started in the kitchen area and developed quickly, spreading from the kitchen into the extraction system that runs throughout the building.

“Upon arrival the crews did a fantastic job in quickly identifying where the fire was heading before putting it out and preventing it spreading any further.

“This prompt response meant they could limit the damage caused by the fire as much as possible and also minimise the disruption to the local community.

“Three fire engines were sent to deal with this incident in total and there were no injuries."

Restaurant owners added that the Mint would be closed until further notice for repairs, and they are currently awaiting insurance assessors to value the damage.

(YouTube video courtesy Paul Potter).