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 The popular Woolpack Inn at Sopley caught fire last Thursday afternoon, closing the Christchurch to Ringwood Road for some time. The owners were alerted to the blaze by a passing motorist.
The owners Di Hankins and his sister Jo said that the pub will re-opened very soon. We have had floods and small fires before and we have only be shut for day or two but this one was more serious. The thatched Inn dates from the18th Century and is a picturesque landmark in Sopley located alongside a stream. It was this thatched roof that caught fire and although staff attempted to control the blaze with a garden hose and extinguishers, it took fire crews from Christchurch and Ringwood to finally control and put out the fire. The fire was mainly in the roof but the bars, living accomodation and restaurant areas below were severely damaged by water. Di Hankin and her sister were up in the small hours till 6am salvaging furniture and personal items from the flat. Tarpaulins were fitted to the roof to protect the building from further damage from the heavy rain. Fire crews had to pull the burning thatch from the roof and pile it on the ground below and in the pubs car park. The Fire & Rescue Service say its possible a spark from a woodburning stove may have ignited the thatch. This is the most common cause of thatch fires followed by faulty heating flues, electrical faults, lightning strikes and garden bonfires. Careless discarding of cigarette butts too have been known to cause fires. The Service also said that the crews made valiant attempts to prevent the fire spreading by removing parts of the roof. A thatch roof, once on fire spreads very very quickly so removing as much unaffected thatch as possible assists in isolating the fire. This incident could have been a lot worse if wasn't for the quick reaction of crews in conducting early salvage work. Last update : 04-04-2008 07:21
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