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Apr
'Like something out of War of the Worlds' – residents react to The Cricketers fire
Twelve hours after it took hold, the fire at The Cricketers pub in Calcutt continues to smoulder, according to eyewitnesses at the scene.
The blaze ripped through the detached building in the early hours of Tuesday morning, bringing firefighters from six fire stations, including a crew from as far away as Tadcaster.
Firefighters are still investigating the blaze.
One woman, who declined to be named in full but was happy to be referred to as Mrs G, lives very close to the pub and said she was alerted to the fire by the sound of an explosion.
She told the Stray Ferret:
It was so loud. At first, I thought something had crashed into our garage. Then I heard a second explosion, and a third, and a fourth – and wondered if someone was letting off fireworks, so I got up to see what was happening.
It was so dramatic. The street light had gone out, the flames were really orange and there was this incredible pillar of smoke rising from the pub. It was like something from War of the Worlds.
It is not yet known what caused the explosions, or how big they were, but it appears they were not the cause of the fire, but a symptom of it.
All the residents the Stray Ferret spoke to were united in a sense of loss for a pub that has long stood as a landmark where Forest Moor Road meets Thistle Hill.
Formerly the Union, it was refurbished in 2019 and re-opened as The Cricketers, earning a 4/5 rating on Tripadvisor and positive reviews for its food, decor, cleanliness and welcome.
Only charred timbers remain where the roof has collapsed.
But one night has changed everything. According to North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue, the blaze caused "100% fire damage to the building", and from the roadside, the building certainly appears to be gutted – the roofs of both parts have fallen in.
So what will happen to it in the longer term remains to be seen. Some residents speculated that it would be bulldozed and replaced with housing.
The Stray Ferret contacted the owner, pub group Marston’s, to find out if a plan had yet been formulated.
A spokesperson told us they would not be able to respond in full until the company had had time to “evaluate the situation properly with the appropriate experts”.
It is not yet know if the pub will be rebuilt and reopened.
But they added:
We are naturally saddened by the fire at The Cricketers last night, however the most important thing is that that no one was harmed by the fire, and we are grateful for that.
That sentiment was echoed by many at the scene and online. One regular told us the pub's tenants had moved out of the upstairs accommodation just one week ago – although we have not yet been able to confirm that – so there would have been nobody in the building when it caught fire.
Now that everyone has been accounted for and no deaths or injuries reported, residents are left to mourn the loss of a touchstone of their community.
One local resident told us:
I used to go there often. It’s in the middle of nowhere – a lot of people come by car – and yet it’s very much a drinker’s pub.
But they’ve made a real effort to make it nice, with new decking out the back. It’s lovely – the garden is gorgeous in the summer. Or rather, it was.
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