Port Meadow pub blaze
Over eighty firefighters were called to tackle a fire that broke out on Tuesday afternoon at The Perch pub in Oxford.
The fire broke out in the thatched roof of the 17th century pub on Binsey Lane opposite Port Meadow just after 4pm. Bar manager Stephen Nakomora, said, “The chef spotted a flicker of fire at the base of the chimney. He came upstairs to the office and called 999.” Richard Hargreaves, a first-year Law student at St Peter’s, was passing by The Perch on Tuesday evening. He told The Oxford Student, “I couldn’t believe it when I saw the smoke.
It’s such a shame, it had such a great atmosphere in summer. “I have many fond memories of lazy afternoons mostly spent in The Perch drinking my student loan away. “It was one of the few thatched pubs left in the Oxford area. I now have to go even further out of the Oxford bubble to get to a good pub”. Twelve fire engines and a specialist unit with a hydraulic platform were on the scene within minutes.
Firefighters tackled the fire by hosing down the roof and using pickaxes to create a break in the thatch to prevent the fire from spreading further. Three auxillery pumps were used to pump water from the River Thames. Peter Cleary of Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Services said at 8:30pm, “The fire is completely under control now. We are conducting salvage operations and damping down which is likely to go on throughout the night.
“Thatched roofs by their nature burn very quickly, but we managed to save 40% of it, the rest will have to be rebuilt. “We also saved practically all of the interior and the structure of the building.” Two customers and six staff escaped uninjured. Ambulances were called but purely as a precaution. Assistant Chief Officer of the fire service David Etheridge said, “Extensive salvage has saved thousands of pounds worth of property in this listed public house.
On Wednesday afternoon it was confirmed by the Fire Investigation team that it was an accidental fire, probably caused by a faulty chimney lining. Rick Padfield, a Geography student at St Peter’s said, “It was very sad, it was a lovely pub. “There was smoke billowing out of the thatched roof. It was like a burnt-out shell. You have to feel sorry for the pub owner who has lost his livelihood.” A previous fire in The Perch in 1977 destroyed a large portion of the building.
The Perch is situated opposite Port Meadows across the River Thames. Steve Forcucci, manager of The Trout, a nearby pub, told The Oxford Student, “I was suprised that there was a fire, it was a shock. We’ve only just re-opened too, it must be awful. We are all like a family in in the hospitality business.
10th May 2007