EatDrinkSleep site damaged by fire with 28 guests evacuated

The 14-bedroomed Old Coastguard hotel in Mousehole, west Cornwall, caught alight on Tuesday (19 June) with 28 paying guests inside.

All customers were evacuated safely and rehoused in nearby venues, according to the pubco, which is owned by brothers Charles and Edmund Inkin.

Cornwall Fire and Rescue were called to the fire on Tuesday evening and evacuated the hotel.

Cause is still unknown​

The cause of the fire is still unknown, as is the full extent of the damage to the building, which will remain closed until restorative work has been carried out.

The Old Coastguard has been run by EatDrinkSleep since 2011, which also owns Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs the Gurnard’s Head in Zenor and the Felin Fach Griffin​, South Wales.

Edmund Inkin said: “We’re at the very early stage of working through with Cornwall Fire & Rescue to understand what caused the fire.

“We’d like to thank them for their work last night in ensuring that the fire was extinguished rapidly and damage limited.

“We hope to have a better idea of when we can reopen in the next day or two, but there has been fairly significant damage to the fabric of some parts of the building.”

Fire and safety systems​

It is believed the site’s fire and safety systems and processes all worked to ensure the safety of the guests and staff, he added, thanking the customers for their understanding at the time.

“We’d also like to register our appreciation to the Ship Inn in Mousehole for being so utterly welcoming to our guests while we organised for them to be accommodated elsewhere and to the hotels and guesthouses that agreed to put them up,” said Edmund.

“Finally, I’d like to acknowledge the work of our senior team that worked so hard right through the night to ensure the impact on our guests was as limited as it could be.”

Meanwhile, it was announced this week that Mitchells & Butlers Vintage Inns site the historic Ye Olde Six Bells in Horley, Surrey, would reopen in the autumn after a fire devastated ​the roof of a modern extension.