Shropshire Wetherspoon fire: Market Drayton's Hippodrome remains closed day after blaze which saw pub evacuated
A north Shropshire JD Wetherspoon pub that was evacuated after a fire broke out at lunchtime on Saturday remains closed today.
Eight fire crews were called to Queen Street in Market Drayton at around 1.10pm on Saturday (December 27) after a blaze broke out at the Hippodrome pub.
The blaze, which is thought to have spread from the pub's open fire, saw the building evacuated and more than 50 firefighters in attendance.
Pub staff were praised by Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service for their quick actions in evacuating during the fire, which firefighters got under control by 3.30pm.
John Kirby from Wolverhampton, who was on a day out with his 15-month-old daughter Hannah, explained how they had to leave the pub during lunch as the drama unfolded.
He said: "We were just eating our lunch and then we saw smoke coming from the fire pit, and we don't know if there was a fire underneath the fire pit, and then so we basically moved positions away from the fire. Then one of the customers came with a fire extinguisher trying to put it out and we just moved away, then the fire alarm went off and we just all evacuated."
It had been hoped the pub would reopen on Sunday following the fire, but a spokesman has since confirmed it will stay closed while the team waits for contractors to come and assess the damage.
A spokesman for JD Wetherspoon confirmed that the blaze looks to have started in the pub's open fire.
"Looks like the fire has started from the open fire in the pub."
He continued: "Basically a clean-up crew is in place and we are awaiting various contractors to attend to check over electrics, gas pipes and to start repairs."
"We are still waiting on contractors," a member of the pub team said. "So at the moment we won't be opening today."
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