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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Blaze badly damages historic pub | Blaze badly damages historic pub |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A 200-year-old pub has been badly damaged in an early morning blaze. | A 200-year-old pub has been badly damaged in an early morning blaze. |
| Police and fire investigators are trying to find the cause of the outbreak at the Lamb and Flag in Glynneath in the Neath Valley. | Police and fire investigators are trying to find the cause of the outbreak at the Lamb and Flag in Glynneath in the Neath Valley. |
| Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said the landlord and his wife were woken by a smoke alarm at around 0515 GMT. | |
| The roof has been destroyed and fire-fighters were still at the scene late on Monday morning. | |
| The fire spread to the second floor and roof but there are no reports of injuries. | The fire spread to the second floor and roof but there are no reports of injuries. |
| The B4242 Park Avenue, the main route through the village, remains closed in both directions. | The B4242 Park Avenue, the main route through the village, remains closed in both directions. |
| A spokeswoman for the fire service said firefighters with breathing apparatus had entered the building but had been forced to withdraw due to the severity of the blaze. | A spokeswoman for the fire service said firefighters with breathing apparatus had entered the building but had been forced to withdraw due to the severity of the blaze. |
| Both police and fire officers are investigating the cause of the fire at the pub, which had celebrated its 200th anniversary in August 2007. | |
| Fire officers said there is extensive damage throughout the building | |
| Roger Thomas, scene commander for Mid and West Wales fire and rescue service said: "We're not sure of the actual cause of the fire at the moment. The alarm was raised in the early hours of the morning, about 0515. The landlord and his wife were obviously asleep at that point, the alarm was raised, they got out of the building and called 999." | |
| Crews from Abercrave, Seven Sisters, Neath and Morriston were called out. | |
| "The crews were confronted with a well established fire and attempted to fight it offensively, from within the building, but that became too difficult and we had to withdraw." | |
| "Obviously a large part of the building has been lost and there's extensive damage throughout." | |
| Local council engineers are at the scene assessing the structure. | |
| "Prior to us leaving, we will have to ensure there's still no danger to the public," said Mr Thomas, | |
| "It's been a very hectic morning but we're pleased the alarm was raised by a working smoke detector and those inside were able to get out quickly which from our point of view is of paramount importance." | |
| Local people said the lower part of the building dated back 200 years, with the upper floors added in the late 1930s. | |
| "It was a busy pub, there were pool teams, darts teams, it was a community pub," said one resident. |