A popular restaurant chain has provided an update after one of their buildings was completely destroyed in a devastating fire.
The Harvester in Stanway, near Colchester, was severely damaged in the incident, with firefighters called to the scene during the early hours of Thursday morning around 12.50pm.
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service watch manager Simons, who is leading the operation, said the building had been completely destroyed.
Harvester has now responded with an update after the incident.
A spokesperson said: "There isn’t a great deal we can say at this stage as this is still a live incident other than to say, fortunately, no one was hurt.
"It would be wrong to speculate on how the fire may have started, we will of course cooperate with the authorities as they investigate.
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“We’d like to thank Essex Fire Service for their prompt response and attempts to save the building though it looks as though the damage is extensive.
“We should apologise to any guests who may have bookings as clearly our restaurant will be closed for some time."
Watch manager Simons said: "Parts of the building are still on fire. We have four fire trucks and an Aerial Ladder Platform (ALP) here. We're still putting water on the fire from above to control it.
"We've been here since around 1.30am. The building is completely ruined. There's no saving it unfortunately, but it's too early to say what caused it.
"The surrounding roads will be shut for most of the day."
Harvester has been a permanent fixture in London Road for a number of years.
The restaurant has always been a popular choice for many across the city and has more than 4,000 Google reviews.
Even in recent days, many have taken to Google to give their thoughts on the site.
Harvester operates more than 150 restaurants across the UK, serving its familiar grills, pub classics and unlimited salad bar.
The chain also has a large presence across Essex, including restaurants in Chelmsford, Grays and Southend-on-Sea.
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