Firefighters believe a blaze at an historic thatched pub in Somerset was caused by an electrical fault in a fuse box.
Fire engines from seven stations were called in to tackle the flames at Ye Old Poppe Inn in Tatworth, near Chard. They used compressed air foam to stop the blaze from spreading to the highly-combustible thatched roof.
Business insurance and pub insurance policies should always take account of any quirky features in a property, such as a thatched roof, to make sure they are properly covered in case of unforeseen circumstances.
In the Chard fire, the quick action of firefighers was sufficient to stop the flames reaching the roof and the blaze was out within three hours. One man was treated at the scene by ambulance crews for minor injuries and the police also attended to control traffic around the scene of the blaze.
In a message on its Facebook page, the pub thanked the emergency services and apologised to its customers for the disruption.
It said: "We apologise to all of our customers we have had to close the pub temporarily due to an electrical fire in the restaurant. Subject to meetings with relevant parties we hope to reopen as soon as possible.”
It’s believed the fire was sparked by an electrical problem in a fuse box on the ground floor. The building suffered moderate smoke and fire damage, the Western Gazette reported.
