Edwards bar goes up in flames

The popular Newcastle bar co-owned by prominent local Chris Joannou, of Silverchair fame has been damaged by a fire.

Police are now investigating the blaze andNewcastle duty officer Chief Inspector Paul Johnson said that a crime scene has been set up at the bar of The Edwards.

He said all the signs showed that the fire started near the kitchen.

"At this stage all we can say is the premises was secured by employees late in the evening," Chief Inspector Paul Johnson told the ABC.

"Some time after they left the fire was noticed.

"A crime scene has been established.

According to senior firefighter Jake Addison, fire crews saw flames visible from the roof of the building when they arrived.

"Crews initially attempted to attack the fire internally but after a partial roof collapse, crews were forced to exit the building and attack the building in a defensive mode," Addison told the ABC.

"We had extensive damage to the building, over 70 per cent of the building destroyed and owners were in attendance."

He said police and fire crews were no trying to work out the cause of the blaze.

"The scene's been handed to police and we've got our fire investigation team working in conjunction with the police to determine the cause of the fire," Mr Addison told the ABC.

"The crews did a great job, worked quickly and efficiently to ensure the fire was contained to that building of origin and not spread to surrounding buildings."

By the time the fire was brought under control, most of the building had been destroyed. Residents were evacuated and no-one was injured.

Joannou was the former bass player for the iconic Newcastle grunge band. He opened the bar four ago. The loss of the business has left him devastated.

He told the ABC had already been in touch with insurers about rebuilding The Edwards.

Leon Getler 25th June 2018.