The landlady of an historic pub in Ashwell has praised the her staff and firefighters who saved the building from being destroyed by fire yesterday.

Fire crews from across Hertfordshire were called after the blaze broke out in a flat above The Three Tuns in High Street shortly after midday.

Fire crews went into the flat using breathing apparatus, hoses and covering jets and quickly got control of the blaze.

Landlady Sally Birrell who rents the pub from the Greene King brewery, said if it wasn’t for the quick thinking of her staff who raised the alarm and evacuated the pub, and the fire crews who bravely battled the blaze, the building would have been destroyed.

She told the Crow: “I want to say a big thank you to everybody who offered their support throughout the fire. It was the quick thinking and the actions of my staff and the rapid response of the fire service that saved this historic property in the heart of Ashwell.

“It was within moments of being engulfed by the flames.”

She added: “You can never underestimate the power of fire. It was only the fact that the fire doors kept the fire isolated within a small area on the first floor that stopped it spreading further.

“The important thing for us is that we are back open for trade as usual. People in the village came in yesterday and today to support us and we are welcoming them.

“We have our new executive chef, James, starting with us, so it’s very much onwards and upwards from here.”

The fire was out by 1.30pm yesterday.

Police were also at the scene but the blaze is thought to have started accidentally and to be due to an electrical fault.

There were no casualties.