A popular pub in Bromley Cross remains closed until further notice following a “major fire” involving a tumble drier.
The Railway pub in Bromley Cross was forced to close its doors on Friday December 30, which is one the busiest trading seasons for pubs.
It was able to open the bar on New Year’s Eve, for drinks only but unable to serve food due to the damage.
Devastated landlord of the pub, Mike Hales, says at the moment the pub is closed until the insurance companies have assessed the losses from the fire upstairs.
Mike added: “We are taking it as it comes.
“We may be open at the weekend, but we don’t know yet.
“We are waiting for the insurance and loss assessors to come back to us.
“Staff selflessly tackled the initial fire and went to try and keep it out until the fire brigade came.
“But it reignited right before my eyes, and it was full of smoke.
“The fire crew were here within minutes, and they were absolutely superb.
“I dread to think how much worse it could have been.”
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After firefighters from Bolton Central and Bolton North used equipment to put the fire out, water came through to the pub downstairs.
Mike says that they helped to clear this area up, and “saved the building”.
The pub has since been repaired, and painted downstairs, including the lighting.
At the time there were around eight members of staff on duty, with 40-50 customers inside.
No-one was hurt following the incident.
Mike says that the cost for electric and gas has increased significantly, meaning that themselves along with the hospitality sector are already making a loss.
He said: “It’s just extra stress and has been a year of hell with the energy prices going up.
“The busiest two days of the year now means we made a huge loss of sales that we needed to get by.”
The fire caused electrical damage and around around £6-7k worth of food was lost due to the preparation and storage areas being extensively damage.
The food was donated to the charity Bolton Nice and some others in the area.
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