Up in smoke

This was the dramatic scene in Arundel High Street on Saturday afternoon after fire engulfed a 15th Century property.

And on Friday night, drinkers fled a blazing timber-framed pub in the East Street pedestrian precinct, Chichester. In Arundel, more than 100 firefighters battled to save Spencer Swaffer Antiques when fire erupted in a second floor flat above the shop.

Members of the public formed a chain gang to save valuable antiques as the flames spread. Hundreds of residents and tourists watched in horror as smoke started pouring from the building just after 1pm.

Shop owner Spencer Swaffer had just minutes to remove the most valuable antiques, worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, and was helped by friends, employees and fire-fighters.

Mr Swaffer said: "My staff rang me to say they had seen smoke and flames coming out of the top window. We had 20 minutes to get some of the most valuable stock out. Friends and family gathered round and we formed a chain gang and passed furniture through the back door into the garden."

The fire was stopped from spreading into three shops beneath the flat. But Mr Swaffer watched helplessly as water seeped through the building and two roofs collapsed on to antiques still inside the premises.

Police closed off the High Street and set up diversions, causing traffic congestion on roads around the town. Eighteen fire engines from all over the county were involved in the operation.

Divisional fire officer Kevin Trust said: "When the crews arrived, they were faced with a severe fire with smoke and flames coming from the upper floors and roof."

The blaze was out by about 4pm, but crews stayed at the scene until yesterday morning to ensure the fire did not flare up again. The High Street was reopened yesterday afternoon. Mr Trust said the cause of the fire was not known and a joint investigation would be carried out by West Sussex Fire Brigade and Sussex Police.

Meanwhile, city centre street cameras could hold vital clues about a fire which gutted the Punch House pub. The blaze is being treated as suspicious after landlord Dennis Pordage revealed he had recently received threats.

He said: "We have handed out some warnings and asked people to leave as a result of which threats were made. I don't want to go into details, but nobody threatened to set the pub on fire or to harm me."

More than 120 drinkers and staff were forced to flee the building just before closing time. Fire crews from Chichester were on the scene within minutes, but called for back-up when they saw the extent of the fire. At its height, 125 firefighters were tackling the blaze, which took four hours to extinguish.

Mr Pordage said the fire was discovered by barman and doorman Tony Kelly at 11.20pm. He said: "Tony came in and told everyone to get out. There was no panic and everyone left immediately. Within minutes of us getting out, the flames had shot all the way up the building and were coming from the top floor.

"The main thing is that nobody was hurt, but I have lost all the stuff I had in there and the barmaids who live here have lost their things as well. Thankfully, I live nearby, not over the pub. I dread to think what would have happened if my wife and two kids had been up there."

It is the second time Mr Pordage has escaped from a fire. He was trapped when he worked at the Thieves Kitchen, now the Vintner's Parrot, in Warwick Street, Worthing, when it went up in flames ten years ago. Mr Pordage said: "I was overcome by smoke and had to be rescued from the building. This has been a real shock and has brought it all back to me again."

Sector Commander Phil Phillips, of Sussex Police, said the area around the pub was being treated as a crime scene. He said: "A forensic scientist is coming down from the Metropolitan Police in London. He will work with our scenes of crime officers and with the fire brigade's investigators to find out what happened."

Hundreds of people gathered outside the pub on Saturday morning to watch as clearing up work began. Chichester resident Derek Neill said: "Parts of the pub date from the 14th Century when it was known as the City Arms. Elizabeth I slept there and it is probably the oldest ale house in Chichester. It is very sad to see it like this."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.