A police investigation has been launched after Panacea has been seriously damaged by fire for the second time in five years.
Fire crews from Greater Manchester, Bollington, Poynton, Holmes Chapel, Northwich and Macclesfield were called to the bar and restaurant on London Road just before 10.30pm last night, Tuesday 13th March.
On arrival they found the two storey detached building engulfed in flames and around 50 firefighters have worked through the night to fight the fire using aerial appliances.
The fire appeared to be mainly at the back of the building but a spokesman for Cheshire Fire confirmed this morning that the majority of the building has been affected by the fire.
The blaze is now out but fire crews remain at the scene this morning to dampen down the building and await the arrival of the police and fire investigation team.
The surrounding roads have since been reopened, although the car park at the rear of the building remains closed.
Stuart Devereux, Station Manager at Warrington, said "Crews are still here to damp down and preserve the scene until the Fire Investigation Officer and police have conducted their investigations.
"They will not be entering until the building has been declared safe but hopefully that will be within the hour."
Panacea was closed when the fire broke out and the police have confirmed that there have been no reports of any injuries or evacuations of neighbouring properties.
The restaurant at Panacea has been closed since the beginning of the year for refurbishment and an employee confirmed two weeks ago that they were hoping to reopen as a Piccolino Italian restaurant in April.
Three weeks ago Playworks Ltd, owners of Panacea, submitted a planning application to create a new outdoor dining area with a bar to enable year round alfresco dining and a new porch for the nightclub entrance at the rear of the property.
The scene remains cordoned off and the police are expected to release further details later today.
Cheshire Police are appealing to anyone who may have any information concerning the incident to contact them on using the 101 number quoting incident number 925 of 12 March.
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