25 Jan 2013
Officials have been unable to deduce the cause of a fire that ripped through a pub in Yeovil earlier this month.
Devon and Somerset Fire Service said it is unable to pinpoint the reason for the fire at The Bell on Preston Road due to the extensive damage and instability of the building.
The blaze on January 6 is said by the Western Gazette to be one of the biggest fires in Yeovil over the past decade or more, prompting a massive response from the local fire services.
There were 16 fire units attending to the scene and the inferno was brought under control after some four hours of efforts from firefighters, while buildings had to be evacuated and roads were closed nearby.
Nobody was in the building at the time of the fire, fortunately, and the pub’s owner Greene King has indicated it hopes to reopen the premises at some point in the future.
A ‘suitable and sufficient’ fire risk assessment must be carried out on pubs and other commercial properties in England and Wales under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
The Responsible Person faces an unlimited fine or a prison sentence of up to two years if it is discovered an inspection was insufficiently carried out.
Copyright Press Association 2013