Owner of new Hartlepool food business vows to carry on despite devastating fire

A new dad has spoken of his devastation after his new food business was destroyed in a fire just months after opening.
By Pamela Bilalova
Published 21st Feb 2023, 12:30 BST
Updated 21st Feb 2023, 15:49 BST
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Daniel Blackwood worked off-shore for 10 years and put all of his savings into takeaway The Sea Shack which opened on the Headland in November.

But has been left heartbroken after it was burnt down at the weekend.

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He now faces a repair bill of over £50,000 and says the blaze “couldn’t have come at a worse time”.

The Sea Shack has been destroyed in a fire, leaving owner Daniel Blackwood with a repair bill of over £50,000.The Sea Shack has been destroyed in a fire, leaving owner Daniel Blackwood with a repair bill of over £50,000.
The Sea Shack has been destroyed in a fire, leaving owner Daniel Blackwood with a repair bill of over £50,000.

But Daniel has vowed to come back from the setback and a friend has started an online fundraising page.

Cleveland Fire Brigade spent over one hour tackling the flames after being called to the incident at 11.53pm on Friday (February 17) and are investigating the cause of the fire.

Daniel, 35, found out what had happened after a customer messaged him.

“It was about 8.30 on Saturday morning,” he said.

The Sea Shack launched in November last year.The Sea Shack launched in November last year.
The Sea Shack launched in November last year.
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“One of our customers who had been in before was walking her dog on the Promenade on the Headland and she said the Sea Shack has been burnt down.

"At first when I was reading it, I didn’t know if I was dreaming or not, is this really happening.

"I rang the chef and told him. He didn’t believe me at first.”

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The Sea Shack opened in November of last year and serves a range of open fire dishes, including cod cheek scampi, fired pork belly and fishcake.

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The fire has come just six weeks after Daniel and his partner Rebecca Sinclair welcomed their first child, baby-girl Arabella.

"It couldn’t have come at worse time,” Daniel said of the blaze.

"The Sea Shack was my sole income, really.

"We are just devastated.”

He added: "It’s been a passion of mine for years.

"All of my life savings have gone into it.”

Following the devastating blaze, a friend of Daniel’s has started a GoFundMe page to help raise money towards restoring the business.

Daniel, from the Dyke House area, said he hopes to get The Sea Shack back up an running despite the setback.

He said: "It’s something I’ve wanted to do for years. It’s not going to stop me. This is just a little bump in the road.”

If you would like to donate, visit GoFundMe and search for The sea shack.

Related topics:Hartlepool