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Being an on-the-water restaurant, Embankments Tapas & Music Bar has faced a number of misfortunes over the years, from flooding to burglary.
The bar, located on the River Medway outside Archbishops Palace in Maidstone, has now gone up in flames.
The restaurant, formerly named The Barge, was opened by James Bailey in 2009 who thought it was a shame the riverside was not being used to its full potential.
It was designed after and built out of an old French motor-sailing barge.
However, trouble struck the restaurant before it even opened.
On its journey from Allington to its mooring on Mill Street, the boat was found to be three inches too high to pass under Maidstone Bridge.
After the owner acquired more ballast to bring the vessel lower into the river, the floating restaurant was able to make the final hundred yards to where it sits today.
In 2013, The Barge went into liquidation, then re-opened as Embankments Tapas & Music Bar serving tapas-style dishes made with fresh local produce.
Years later, in August 2016, bad luck struck the business again when the boat was burgled.
Some cash from the till and multiple bottles of prosecco were found to have been taken from the restaurant after police were called to the scene in the morning.
The restaurant has also faced flooding a number of times.
During the floods of 2013 it remained moored but floating worryingly close to the Archbishop's Palace.
More recently in December 2019, the boat was seen tipped perilously to one side after the flooding over Christmas.
On Christmas Eve, a pleasure boat had broken loose in the high water and, after being swept downriver, it became trapped under the prow (pointed front) of Embankments.
The tapas bar was forced to close over the Christmas period. The owners apologised for any inconvenience, saying: "It was out of our control."
This morning fire engines and police officers are at the scene tackling the fire which has broken out on the vessel.
There are currently no casualties and properties nearby have been told to keep their windows and doors shut. Drivers have also been warned to avoid the area.
