A derelict Neath nightclub that has been empty for years was damaged by fire in the early hours of Tuesday morning — just weeks before it was due to go back under the hammer at auction.
Crews from Neath, Morriston, Pontardawe and Port Talbot were called to the former Katz nightclub on Queen Street Back Road at 3.11am on Tuesday after fire broke out at the rear of the two-storey building. The blaze affected the first and second floors.
A spokesperson for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: “Crews utilised eight breathing apparatus, three hose reel jets, a 10m ladder, three thermal imaging cameras and small tools to extinguish the fire. The turn table ladder was used to gain access to the building.”
Fire crews left the scene at 6.53am — more than three and a half hours after being called out. A road closure was put in place on Alfred Street and Queen Street Back Road during the incident but has since been lifted.
South Wales Police, who were also in attendance, said the cause of the fire was yet to be determined and is under investigation.
The building has been empty for a number of years since the nightclub closed. For those who remember it, Katz was a fixture of Neath’s night-time economy — a sizeable two-storey venue with a prominent bar, raised stage, and a large dancefloor with original parquet wood flooring that survives inside to this day.
The property failed to sell when it went to online auction with a guide price of £145,000 in March. It is currently listed for auction again with a reduced guide price of £85,000, with bidding closing on May 12. The listing describes it as a building “in a state of disrepair” with potential for conversion into flats, a gym, boutique cinema, restaurant or creative studio space, subject to planning permission.
The full extent of the damage caused by Tuesday’s fire is not yet known, and it is unclear what impact — if any — it will have on the upcoming auction.
