Fire crews at the Malt Shovel pub. Pic: Nathan Briant

Fire crews have spent the night battling to prevent damage to an old pub.

A blaze broke out in the kitchen area of the Malt Shovel pub in Lower Lane, Chorley at around 5pm yesterday (August 7).

Fire crews at the Malt Shovel pub. Pic: Nathan Briant

It soon spread to the roof space of an extension at the rear of the building, where a dog had to be rescued from an accomodation area of the pub.

In order to put out the fire, crews had to strip tiles from the roof and cut out joists to get access to the blaze and prevent it spreading to the older parts of the building.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Rob Barber said: “This was a severe fire involving a single storey extension containing a kitchen and restaurant.

“It was a complex incident due to the construction of the roof which made it difficult for firefighters to gain access safely and tackle the fire.

“Firefighters worked extremely hard to contain the fire and prevent it spreading from the extension to the old pub.”

The incident was scaled down around 9pm, but one crew remained at the pub throughout the night to ensure there was no further outbreak of fire, while water was pumped from the cellar this morning.

The blaze is believed to have started accidentally.

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