Diner gutted by fire just weeks after opening

Corrigan’s Diner was hit by a blaze which severely damaged the inside of their premises on Cemetery Road in Wath.

The fire, which broke out at about 4pm last Saturday, has been linked to an electric fault with an extractor fan.

It also caused smoke damage to neighbouring premises Sleek Hair and Beauty, Crazy Diamonds by Laura, Premier Metro Store, Faisal’s Takeaway and Patch Dog Groomers.

Shaun Corrigan, from Swinton, and his husband Lewis, from Conisbrough, had only opened the business around six weeks before the incident.

Shaun said: “We literally put our all into that place. To say we are gutted is an understatement.

“A lot of hard work went into renovating this place and making it a fresh new place for everyone. In the space of two hours, it was all ripped away.

“Six staff, along with our drivers, are now wondering if they have a job. But the fire has made me and Lewis determined to get this sorted as quickly as we can.”

Shaun said his thoughts were with the staff and adjoining businesses affected by the fire.

“This fire has devastated myself and my husband because being a new business, we have been received incredibly well by the Wath and Rotherham community,” he added.

“It was the last thing we’d expect to happen after only six weeks.

“Our services, including the meal on wheels service, became incredibly popular, so it was devastating to inform the customers we could not provide this due to the fire.

“Not only this, but the fact we had built an amazing team of staff  who quickly became an important part of the business.

“We are also devastated that this has affected the neighbouring businesses and caused them to close while a clean-up operation is on the way.

“It has been the most heartbreaking thing to see the passion and love these guys have for their own businesses.”

Shaun added: “The messages of support helped give us such a sense of community spirit and togetherness.

“We are blown away that someone has started a fundraiser to help us through these difficult times.”

The appeal was launched by Suzanne Glarvey, of Swinton, who said she wanted to help all the businesses affected through a difficult period.

“It was my daughter who got a phone call about 30 minutes after she left work at 4pm to say that Corrigan’s was on fire,” Ms Glarvey said.

“My daughter had just started working for them too and she told me she loved working there.

“She suffers with anxiety and Shaun and the team made her feel so welcome and settled. It boosted her confidence and gave her much more in the process.

“I feel awful for the people affected by this because they are trying to make a difference in their communities.

“To watch someone’s livelihood go up in flames is devastating.”

You can support the fundraiser at https://tinyurl.com/Corrigans-Diner.