Huge fire erupts at historic seaside hotel with flames reaching 20ft high
A century-old cliffside pub in Hampshire has been engulfed in a blaze – one that shows no signs of stopping as it’s fanned by strong winds.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service said flames burst from the Osborne View pub and restaurant in Hill Head, Fareham, at about 2.30am.
Footage posted by fire officials shows 10 fire engines and roughly 60 firefighters tackling the towering flames spewing from the roof.
The flames reached highs of 20ft, according to the Southern Daily Echo, a regional newspaper.
Thermal camera readings showed the centre of the inferno reached a blistering 330°C.
‘Because of the large number of emergency vehicles people are requested to avoid Hill Head Road which is currently impassable,’ the county fire service said at 6.15am.
‘Residents nearby are advised to keep their doors and windows closed due to the smoke.
‘At about 2.30am, there was smoke and possible flames seen from The Osborne View Hotel in Fareham. Staff evacuated and no guests were staying in the hotel.
‘Crews from Fareham, Gosport, Cosham, Portchester, Southsea, Eastleigh, Hightown, Beauleigh, Romsey and Ringwood are in attendance to tackle the significant fire in the roof space of the three-storey hotel and restaurant.’
Photographs show the roof of the pub, named after Queen Victoria’s royal residence Osborne House, and the top floor gutted and charred.
A sliver of fire can be seen still burning on the roof.
Matt Kearsey, the managing of Hall and Woodhouse, a Dorset brewery company which owns Osborne View, said all staff were safely evacuated.
‘Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service were quickly in attendance and are helping to bring the fire under control. I would like to pass on my deepest gratitude to the emergency crews for their swift action and bravery,’ he said in a statement on the pub’s website.
‘We will be supporting the emergency services fully in any forthcoming investigation into the cause of the fire.’
Osborne View had operated as a hotel for decades before being bought by the brewing company in the 1990s.
It has long been sat on the cliffs of Hill Head, a residential village of just 7,100 people about two miles northwest of Lee-on-the-Solent.
Sir Alf Ramsey, who in 1966 coached England to its first World Cup championship ‘was a regular visitor to this pub during the 1960s’, according to Hall and Woodhouse.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.