Fire damage to the Mumbles seafront café Verdi's is worse than the family first thought, owner Ryan Hole has said. The blaze tore through the building in the early hours of Thursday, and on Friday Mr Hole said the family was still assessing the situation.
Regulars who arrived on Thursday morning expecting coffee and ice cream instead found a smell of smoke and visible damage. Pictures later shared from inside showed the aftermath of the night-time fire. The Hole family, which runs the café known for its ice cream, coffees and authentic Italian food with views of Swansea Bay, earlier said they were "absolutely devastated". Mr Hole said he received a call telling him the café "went up [in flames]" overnight.
Damage worse than first feared
In a Facebook update on Friday, Mr Hole said: "Thanks for all the kind messages following the devastating fire at Verdi's. Sadly, it looks like the damage is worse than we first feared. We're still assessing everything and we hope to be able to provide a clearer update next week."
Staff praised and criticism addressed
Mr Hole then criticised negative comments made since the fire and praised his staff. He said: "I feel for Giuseppe, Jon, Rob, Ivanna and the team. They're brilliant people who care deeply about Verdi's and its customers. It's their second home and they're understandably heartbroken." He added: "Over the years, I've become used to the criticism that can come with running a business, but some of the comments over the last 24 hours have been disappointing. We may not be perfect, but please don't question our integrity or the care we have for our people, our customers and our businesses. To be honest, we're all still in shock...Thank you again for all your support. It means more than you know."
Verdi's will be back
Mr Hole said he cannot yet say when the business will reopen, but promised it will return. "One thing I can promise is that Verdi's will be back. We just don't know when or exactly what that will look like yet."
