Wolverhampton pub evacuated after fire
A Black Country pub was evacuated this afternoon after a fire broke out in its kitchen while staff were preparing Sunday dinner.
Five people were evacuated from the Spread Eagle pub on Broad Lane in Wednesfield, shortly after it had opened at around 12.15pm.
Kitchen workers were able to isolate the gas supply and control the blaze using a fire blanket before a fire crew from Wolverhampton arrived on the scene.
No one was injured in the blaze, which destroyed the oven and caused minimal smoke damage to the kitchen area.
Watch Commander Tony Bucknall, from Wolverhampton Fire Station, said: "The oven caught fire while kitchen staff were preparing Sunday lunches.
"Staff at the pub acted swiftly to contact us and while we were on our way they did a fantastic job of controlling the flames using a fire blanket and isolating the gas supply.
"There were five people on site at the time, including staff, and they were evacuated for around half an hour.
"We used two fire extinguishers to deal with the fire, but unfortunately the cooker was destroyed. It is fortunate the incident happened when it did and not later in the day when the pub would have been busier."
The pub re-opened at 1pm.
