Sobar set on FIRE

In the early hours of this morning, Sobar, favourite nightclub with many Southampton students, was the victim of a suspected arson attack.

Fire officers were called to the venue at around 3:00am, and were on site for the next few hours extinguishing the fire, evacuating neighbouring houses and flats, and beginning a criminal investigation.

Fortunately, no one was injured, but Detective Constable Steve Thomas, from Southampton CID, feared it could have had far more serious consequences.

“We’re in the early stages of our investigation, but at this time we believe the fire was caused deliberately. This was a large fire and we received many calls at the time from members of the public. Fortunately the bar was closed at the time of the fire and no-one was injured, but the circumstances could have been much worse”, states Thomas.

Around 30 fire officers arrived at the scene to try to resolve the situation, but that did not stop people having to be evacuated quickly from their homes over concerns of the fire spreading. A petrol cannister, believed to be involved in the suspected arson, was also seen on Bevois Valley Road outside Sobar.

The venue was due to host a TRiPP Garden Party tonight, but the event has been cancelled due to resulting damages.

We’ll bring you updates here on the Soton Tab as the story develops.

Were you there or have you been affected by this dramatic event in Portswood? Let us know in the comments below.