Firefighters from Bath Fire Station were called to tackle the inferno at around 8.30pm on 9 May after receiving multiple calls about an umbrella that had caught fire in the pub’s beer garden.
Customers were evacuated from the city centre pub, which is owned by London-based pubco Young’s, after the fire broke out.
While the cause of the fire has not been disclosed, a spokesperson for Avon Fire & Rescue Service confirmed the blaze was thought to have been started accidentally.
Accidental ignition
They told The Morning Advertiser (The MA): "A crew from Bath Fire Station was called at 20:26 on Friday 9 May to reports of a fire at a public house at Westgate Buildings in Bath City Centre.
“On arrival, firefighters found a pub umbrella on fire and used a high pressure hose reel to extinguish the flames. The cause of the fire is thought to be accidental ignition.”
Following the blaze, Avon Fire & Rescue Service urged operators to ensure compliance with fire safety law.
Last month, Colchester Fire Station watch manager Darren Holliday issued a warning to pub operators after a discarded cigarette sparked a fire at the Rose & Crown in Wivenhoe, Essex.
Holliday said: “After reviewing the scene and watching the CCTV footage, we found a cigarette had been discarded in the outdoor area about four hours earlier.
Wildfire warnings
“It had slowly smouldered before igniting nearby materials, eventually causing a much larger fire.
“With the warm weather and current wildfire warnings, it’s more important than ever to double check your cigarette is fully stubbed out and safely thrown away.”
This came after a similar fire the previous night at a property in Stanway, Colchester where the same crew responded to a shed fire.
Meanwhile, the Gribble Inn, Oving, West Sussex, suffered its second fire in a matter of weeks in April, after a fire at the end of February, which caused “significant” damage to the building.
- The MA has contacted the Cork for comment
