UPDATE: Police investigating fire at 14th century pub near Helmsley
A fire tore through The Star Inn at Harome near Helmsley late last night (Wednesday, 24 November)
Last updated 25th Nov 2021
Police are now investigating a fire that destroyed the roof of a pub near Helmsley.
The blaze broke out at The Star Inn at Harome - after its thatched roof set alight just after 10 last night.
A cordon remains in place and the people are being asked to avoid the area.
The owner of the pub has described the incident as 'devastating'.
Chef and owner Andrew Pern - who's been at the pub for 25 years - shared a dramatic video of the fire on Twitter during the early hours.
He has since posted an update on the situation on The Star Inn's Facebook page.
In it, he wrote:
'We are devastated to let everyone know that there has been a fire in our restaurant and pub that has been burning throughout the night.
'Thankfully no one was hurt and our hotel Cross House Lodge is still fully operational, with food and accommodation for hotel guests.
'Please do bear with us as we try to navigate a way forward.
'Unfortunately our internet and phone lines are all currently down, so we are unable to answer phone and email messages at this time.
'Thank you for all of your messages of support, we are very grateful.'
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue have also posted an update - saying the fire is now out and the operation is being scaled down.
However, several crews remain at the scene damping down and removing the thatch from the roof.
Read the statement in full:
'Fire crews from Helmsley, Kirkbymoorside and Pickering along with the aerial ladder platform from Huntington attended a property with the thatched roof on fire. All the occupants of the property were out on the arrival of crews.
'At it’s peak the incident had 9 appliances (fire engines), 1 aerial ladder platform, 1 water bowser, 1 welfare unit and an incident command unit in attendance. Crews worked with main jets and hose reel jets to contain the fire and the aerial ladder platform was deployed to removed thatch from the roof.
'The incident was scaled back to 7 fire engines and the aerial ladder platform at around 5:45am. The incident is still ongoing and crews are still working to extinguish the fire in the roof using hose reel jets and 45 jets.'
In a statement, North Yorkshire Police said: "Fire investigators are taking lead on the investigation and have called the police in to assist with this.
"A cordon remains in place and the public are currently asked to avoid the area."