Closure on menu after fire hits pub

ONE of Edinburgh's oldest inns is to close its doors for a clean-up operation after a serious kitchen fire – despite the best efforts of the head chef who tried to tackle the flames.

Staff were forced to flee the Peacock Inn bar restaurant in Newhaven when a fire started in the ventilation chute above the ovens at around 11am yesterday.

They say they will have to close for around two weeks for the kitchen to be refitted.

The building in Lindsay Road dates from 1767, and parts of it are grade B-listed. It has been in the Carnie family for 30 years and third-generation co-owner, Amy Carnie, 25, spoke of her relief the fire had not been more serious. She said four members of staff had evacuated the building as thick smoke filled the kitchen within seconds. "We're very lucky. The fire seems to have started in the chute from the oven, and it was before we were properly open to the public. Because it spread very quickly they couldn't do anything about it.

"The head chef, Charlie Muir, tried to put it out with our fire extinguishers, but did a fantastic job of realising he wasn't going to be able to put it out and called the fire brigade and got everyone out."

With the pub still waterlogged and in darkness after the blaze, she said: "It was just confined to the kitchen, but we will definitely have a lot of cleaning up to do. Luckily where the water's gone is going to be on wooden and tile floors. It's too early to tell exactly what the damage is because until the electricity board come out we can't get any lights on. We're going to be closed for at least a couple of weeks, but I'll be contacting everyone and we'll reschedule everyone's bookings."

She said she had been stunned when she arrived at the restaurant to see fire engines outside: "It's a bit of a shock to the system. We've had it in the family for 30 years – it was my grandad's, then it was my mum's and we rented it out and we just took it back six months ago, so it's a real shame. I was on an appointment and people were trying to call me and I thought 'I'm going to be late for work, I'll speak to them when I get there'. When I got there I saw all the fire engines and I saw my mum outside, and my heart was in my stomach.

"It's still horrific, in that we're going to have to shut, but at least no-one's hurt and all the listed parts of the building seem to be intact."

She said off-duty staff had rushed to the restaurant to offer their help and added: "What was lovely was that we had so many locals calling and just checking that everyone was OK and offering their support. There was a really nice community spirit, which is as it should be in Newhaven."