Owner of Chesterfield town centre restaurant issues update after fire drama

The blaze was sparked in a kitchen fan at The Stuffed Olive Turkish restaurant just before 5pm on Tuesday, August 10.

Firefighters from Chesterfield, Staveley and Class Cross fire stations were called to the fire, with a large plume of smoke visible across much of the town at its height.

However, Yuksel Albas, owner of the Lordsmill Street restaurant, said smoke from the blaze made it appear worse than it was and damage inside was minimal.

"There was so much smoke which made it look worse than it was,” he said.

"I have someone coming to check on the fan later today and hoping to be reopen by Friday at the latest.

"Everything is ok and there is no damage inside.”

A spokesperson for Thai restaurant Thai Thai, next door, said it had also been forced to close last night but would be open as normal today.

Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze started in the kitchen on the ground floor of the three-storey property.

A spokesperson for the fire service said: “Crews used two breathing apparatus and two hose reel jets to extinguish the fire that started on the kitchen on the ground floor of the property.”

Photos sent to us by reader Elise Hunt showed a large plume of smoke above Chesterfield Jobcentre and fire crews on Lordsmill Street.

Other readers contacted us to say offices close by were evacuated.