Fire in pub

Crews were called to a pub in Princes Road, Buckhurst Hill, after the owner discovered a fire on the ground floor. 

When firefighters arrived they were faced with a heavily smoke-logged building and reported that the ground floor was about 50% alight.

James Taylor, Monitoring Officer at the Scene, said:

"Our crews worked quickly to bring the fire under control and did a great job to stop it from spreading. 

"We expect to be on site for another couple of hours while we clear the smoke and work to continue extinguishing all hot spots in the ceiling and roof areas. 

"The ground floor of the building has suffered fire, smoke and heat damage."

Once the fire is completely extinguished fire officers will carry out an investigation to determine the cause.

Update from Essex Police

Essex Police has confirmed it is treating this incident as arson.

If you saw anything, have any CCTV or dash cam footage, or have any other information about the incident please call 101 quoting incident 858 of 6 February or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.