A blaze broke out at the Queen’s Head Hotel in Troutbeck, Cumbria, on Friday (6 June) at around 9:30pm, destroying the pub’s roof.
All staff and guests – totalling around 50 people - escaped from the building safely, but the exact cause of the fire is still unknown.
Owners Robinsons Brewery said insurance assessors are currently evaluating the site and confirmed the pub will be rebuilt after the ground floor and historic bar area were saved. Eleven fire engines, carrying nearly 60 fire-fighters and specialist equipment, were drafted in from nearby towns to tackle the blaze at the 17th century building.
'We will not abandon this site'
Managing director William Robinson said: “We’re all devastated about what’s happened here but what is important is that everyone made it out alive.
“Our main concern now is to appraise and insure the structural stability of the building. But we will not abandon this site. It will be restored to its former glory and we look forward to that day and welcoming our loyal customers back to the Queens Head.”
He also praised how the pub’s staff handled the disaster.
“They acted with the utmost professionalism in extreme circumstances and we are very pleased to be able to say that no one was injured because clearly, with a fire of this nature, they could have been,” he added.
“All the community rallied round to help and after speaking with one of the fire officer’s, we identified an unsung hero. We do not know the gentleman’s name, however, a farmer used his quad bike to carry fire crew and hoses to the ‘Beck’ river to get more water. Inevitably without his help, the damage would have been even worse.”