Fancott Pub to Close for Months After Fierce Blaze

Fire crews spent hours tackling a fierce blaze which nearly ravaged The Fancott pub in Chalton on Tuesday. The fire broke out in an outbuilding at the back of the pub at around 3.40pm. Beds Fire and Rescue Service used hose reels and the hydraulic lift to bring the blaze under control. Police controlled traffic past the incident at the country pub, famous for its mini railway. No-one was hurt in the blaze. The outbuilding suffered 100 per cent damage from the fire, and the kitchen was damaged by fire, heat and smoke. There was also some water damage to the main building to prevent the fire spreading.

A Beds Fire and Rescue spokesman said: When the first fire crews arrived at the scene there was already a well established fire in the outbuilding at the rear of the pub, which was spreading to the kitchen in the main building. Firefighters at the scene worked extremely well to protect the main building and contain the fire. Firefighters also carried out an extensive salvage operation to protect the contents of the building from further damage.

Paul Wallman, owner of The Fancott, said: As far as we know, the start of the fire was the dustbin, possibly from a cigarette butt. The actual pub is intact but the kitchen and cellar extensions and all the outside buildings are badly damaged. After surveying the damage in daylight today, it is with great sorrow we must close The Fancott for the next couple of months while we rebuild & repair. We are hoping to open again at the beginning of May, although we will keep everyone updated on our progress through Facebook & Twitter. We can not thank our loyal staff, friends & customers enough for the overwhelming support & well wishes we have had in the last 12 hours. We will be working as hard as ever to get The Fancott open as soon as possible & we will look forward to seeing you all very soon!!

Story courtesy of Luton Today

For further updates, see the Fancott’s Facebook page.