Hickory's Smokehouse welcomes back fire crews as it rises from the ashes of devastating blaze
It’s like a phoenix from the ashes – those were the words used by firefighters who battled to save Hickory’s Smokehouse in Wall Heath as it was engulfed by flames only 11 months ago.
The restaurant, which was almost all destroyed by fire in August last year, has been completely rebuilt and remodelled.
On Saturday, the venue welcomed back dozens of firefighters who were called to the scene on the night of the blaze and helped to tackle the inferno.
Bosses have also paid homage to the fire crews that saved it with a phoenix painting taking pride of place on an entry wall. Dannie Hinds, watch commander from Brierley Hill station, was the first man on the scene that night. He said: “The fire here is up there as one of the biggest I have dealt with. It was quickly spreading and developing when I arrived. There were three appliances here at first but when it became clear we needed more resources, at one time their were 15 appliances here, and five firefighters in each.
“Conditions were poor inside and when the thatched roof went up it was becoming unsafe for us to be in there. As the ceiling was collapsing, we had to work hard to put out the fire.”
The watch commander continued: “It’s quite surreal really to be back down here to see what a tremendous job has been done in just under 12 months to bring it back to life.”
Now, the Brierley Hill crews are to use the sports room at the restaurant for their monthly meetings.
Andrew Nixon, firefighter based at Brierley Hill said: “In my 17 and a half year career as a firefighter, this is the first time I’ve actually been invited back for a thank you like this.
“It’s really special and fantastic to see what they’ve done with it all.”
A special firefighter badge is to be installed as a plaque in the restaurant in the coming months to mark the fire as the beginning of the venue’s rebirth.
Owner Neil McDonell said: “We wanted to bring the fire crews back to see how we’ve rebuilt the site and how this is less of a relaunch, more like a total rebirth and fresh start.
“The community has come out to support us from the very beginning and we’re so thankful for that.
“This really feels like the heart of the community now and we hope it will continue to be so. We just can’t thank the firefighters enough for what they did for us. But I must admit, when I saw the fire engine on the car park again this morning, I had a flashback to when I saw them there on the night of the fire. This time though, we’ve been able to welcome them properly.”
Paula Brown, community manager for the venue, added: “This has become a real phoenix from the ashes and we just want to welcome everyone back after they stuck by us for the past 11 months.”
