Customers forced to leave 'plate of beef' behind as terrifying blaze tears through pub

Horrified customers at a pub in Rawtenstall were forced to flee as a terrifying blaze tore through the much-loved boozer. The Old Cobblers on New Hall Hey Road went up in flames shortly after 4.30pm on Sunday (February 12).

Customers who had just sat down to eat their carvery described how they were quickly ushered out of the building after the alarm sounded. Fire crews from Manchester and Lancashire arrived at the scene, by which point the fire was already 'well alight'.

Si Carvell told LancsLive that he'd 'never seen fire like it'. He and his wife Amanda visited the watering hole after most of the day gardening at their home in Cherry Crescent. Videos from the scene show the huge blaze taking hold of the building, with thick plumes of black smoke seen for miles.

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"You just assume it's a drill or a false alarm don't you?" Si said. "I had just been served my meat and I've never seen a plate of beef like it, it was as thick as a steak and I was really looking forward to it so I told the lad behind the counter to keep my plate warm so I could come back to it as we all just thought we'd be straight back in. I'd only managed a mouthful of my pint too."

As the restaurant was evacuated onto the car park, however, Si quickly realised it wasn't a fire drill. "I could see light smoke coming out of the stainless steel chimney pot and then it quickly turned darker and darker and before we knew it the whole pub was in flames."

Nearby residents were told to keep their doors and windows closed while several roads were also closed. nearby. Customers were evacuated into the car park and were checked over by emergency services.

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