Pub fire put life of tenant in danger
Tuesday 1st December 2009, 12:22AM GMT.
A suspected arson attack on a Shrewsbury pub could have been fatal, police said today.
The exact cause of the blaze at The Severn Apprentice, in Coton Hill, is still being investigated, but police believe it was started deliberately.
The pub closed six months ago but a tenant had been living there to keep an eye on the place for the owners after a number of break-ins.
Today Martin Harts-horne, who had been living in a flat within the pub for two weeks, said he was lucky to be alive after waking in the early hours of Saturday morning to find his bedroom filled with smoke.
Mr Hartshorne said he suffered from insomnia, which could have saved his life after he woke to the smell of smoke at about 1.30am.
The 49-year-old said he went downstairs to find the lounge thick with smoke and made his way outside.
He said: “I happened to wake up, luckily for my life. I found the flat covered in smoke. I couldn’t get through to the lounge. I was having trouble breathing so I decided to go outside.”
It is thought the fire started in the lounge, resulting in damage to the ground floor.
Detective Constable Alex Sullivan, the investigating officer, said today: “This is a serious incident that could have resulted in loss of life. The cause is currently unknown but it is being treated as a criminal investigation.”
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