THE owner of a popular pub that was severely damaged during a “numbing” fire plans to keep pulling the pints - even if it’s under a marquee.
The Farmers Arms, in Combe Florey, caught fire at around 3.30pm on Wednesday, January 11.
The devastating blaze saw more than 20 fire crews called to the scene.
The fire left the roof and the upstairs of the pub severely damaged, but the state of the downstairs rooms has left owners Tim Young and Jane Bishop with a positive attitude.
“It could have been worse,” said Tim.
“It was a real kick in the teeth, we have put our heart and soul into the place but we have got to try and maintain a positive attitude.”
At the time of the fire, Mr Young described it as “numbing”.
He was away from the pub when he received a phone call saying the roof was on fire.
The owners have been at the pub for 18 months, and are keen to get up and running as soon as possible and have a quirky plan to resume pulling pints.
They hope to be able to set up a temporary marquee-type bar, with heaters in place to keep punters warm, that will enable them to make the best out of a bad situation.
Approval is needed from surveyors before they can put their plans for into action, but they hope to be pulling pints at the jokingly-named Phoenix Inn by February.
Fire crews battled the blaze throughout the night last week, with the A358 nearby closed by police.
Fire incident commander Chris Pratt spoke with the County Gazette at the time of the fire.
He said: “When crews first arrived there was smoke issuing from the thatched roof.
“Shortly after the fire broke through the roof and as far as we are concerned, our biggest issue was getting access to the property.
“Crews got to work using water jets and compressed air foam jets. They created a fire break in the thatched roof but the incident is still on-going.There is significant damage to the thatched roof and to the first floor.”
Click here to see the devestation as it happened.
No one was injured during the fire and everyone was evacuated in time.
Mr Young said the security of staff members had been paramount in the clean-up and he plans to keep his beloved team in place ahead of a full reopening, which they anticipate will be in six to nine months.
He said: “I have a great team here and I don’t want to lose them.
“Our plan is exciting and it is going to be a bit different and quirky. We walk around the place wondering if it will ever look nice again, but we know it will.
“I don’t think we will be having a log burner again but we definitely want our thatch roof back, it wouldn’t look right without it.
“The fire crews are the unsung heroes here, and when we reopen we hope we can host a fundraiser for them.”
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