Horndon on the Hill pub evacuates punters during summer fête after huge fire

An Essex pub was forced to evacuate its punters after a huge fire. Essex Fire and Rescue Service Crews were called to The Swan pub in Horndon on the Hill on Sunday (June 30), after reports of a fire in a kitchen.

The pub had been at the centre of the village celebrations, as Horndon on the Hill celebrated 50 years since the revival of its annual Feast & Fayre, marking a Royal Charter, which had historically allowed the village to celebrate on the last weekend of June.
Celebrations were cut short as a fire, which had begun in the kitchen, had quickly spread up the extractor fan and internally through vents, meaning the above floors and roof were also affected.

Firefighters quickly surrounded the fire to bring it under control. At 3.40pm the Incident Commander, Station Manager Russ Freeman, confirmed the fire was under control and crews were working to fully extinguish further hotspots.

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Station Manager Freeman said: "There were lots of people at the venue when this fire started, as today marks one of the biggest events in the pub's annual calendar. Unfortunately, one person in the kitchen suffered burns but there are no other injuries.

A spokesperson at The Swan Bar and Restaurant said: "Unfortunately on Sunday afternoon we had to sadly cut our weekend short. There was an incident in the pub which resulted in us having to call the Fire Brigade and evacuate the premises. The Staff, The Feast & Fayre Committee, The Fire Brigade, St. Johns Ambulance and The Police acted both quickly and professionally and fortunately no one was seriously hurt.

“Any existing Restaurant bookings over the next couple of weeks will be cancelled and a member of staff will be in contact over the next few days. We will be working hard to get the pub safe and the bar re-opened soon. Graham, Malee and The Staff would like to thank you all for your kind words, messages, support and understanding at this difficult time. We look forward to welcoming you back in The Swan very soon"

The representative of The Swan pub noted: “50 Years Celebrating The Annual Feast & Fayre, and one we won’t forget any time soon. Thank you so much to everyone who came along over the weekend and supported us at The Swan. A lot of hard work goes into preparing for this event and the team work tirelessly throughout and we cannot thank them enough. We had some fantastic Live Singers who had everyone up on their feet, the sun was shining and the drinks were flowing. We couldn’t have asked for more.

At 3.40pm the Incident Commander, Station Manager Russ Freeman, confirmed the fire was under control and crews were working to fully extinguish further hotspots.

Station Manager Freeman said: "There were lots of people at the venue when this fire started as today marks one of the biggest events in the pub's annual calendar. Unfortunately one person in the kitchen suffered burns but there are no other injuries.

"Because of the nature of the old building, fire and heat can spread quickly and access can be difficult, but our firefighters did a brilliant job in surrounding it and bringing it under control. We will now take our time to cut away sections where needed to make sure we reach all hotspots and make the scene safe."

At 4.20pm firefighters reported that the fire had been completely extinguished. The Swan pub is aiming to re-open its bar area soon.