Owners of The Hengist restaurant in Aylesford left devastated after fire
All staff and patrons safely evacuated
The owners of a family restaurant in Aylesford damaged by a fire over the weekend say they're heartbroken.
The alarm was raised around midnight on Saturday following the detection of smoke in the reception area on CCTV footage.
Emergency services responded quickly, bringing the situation under control, though the restaurant is currently unusable.
In a post on social media the restaurant owners say the fire is suspected to have started in the ice room/storage area, possibly due to either deliberate action or faulty equipment.
An investigation is now underway to determine the exact cause
A statement on their Facebook Page said:
"We are, of course, deeply heartbroken that our family restaurant has experienced such an awful incident.
"We will be contacting all customers with bookings today and some future bookings to reschedule and sincerely apologise. Unfortunately, the building cannot be used at this time.
"Thank you for your understanding, support, and kind messages — it truly means everything to us right now.
"Thank you for our team who once found out there was a fire all rushed back to help. You know who you are
"Faye, Shannon, Mollie, Ollie, Elliot, Louise, Brennan, Elaine, & Amelie we love and adore you all. We adore all our team and glad all are safe."