Hartford Mill pub fire in Huntingdon destroys building

The fire broke out in the early hours of the morning

Nine crews and an aerial rescue unit tackled the blaze

The pub was completely destroyed although the function room was saved

An investigation is taking place but the fire is not thought to be suspicious

A Cambridgeshire pub has been destroyed in a large fire.

The blaze started at the Hartford Mill pub in Hartford, near Huntingdon, at about 04:25 BST.

The landlord and family were alerted by their fire alarm and evacuated the building with no injuries, incident commander Richard Dykes said.

He added: "Tragically, the public house looks like it's a complete loss." An investigation is taking place but the cause is not thought to be suspicious.

"[The fire] spread extremely quickly. There was a vaulted wooded ceiling inside the restaurant area, and smouldering smoke was billowing through all of the ridge tiles across the length of the building," Mr Dykes said.

"The crews worked extremely hard to bring the fire under control, and prevented it spreading to other premises surrounding the public house."

The pub itself, the roof and the living areas of the two-storey building were all destroyed in the blaze. The function room was severely smoke-damaged, Mr Dykes said.

Eyewitness Steve McCarthy, who was moored in the marina next to the pub, said he heard "banging and cracking" when he woke at about 05:00.

"The building was three-quarters alight and the flames were about three times higher than the pub," he said.

"We had to get the ropes off the boat and get away quickly because the heat was so intense."