Six fire engines were required to put out a blaze in the kitchens of the Mark Cross Inn just before midnight on Saturday (April 15). No one was injured.
It is believed the fire may have started from an electrical fault, but this has not yet been confirmed. The results of an official inspection undertaken yesterday were unpublished as the Times went to press.
Pub owner Brian Whiting said the popular establishment will not be open ‘for at least two weeks’ and could remain closed for three months or more.
He said: “The roof has been burned through but this could probably be replaced quite quickly. The problem is the fire took out all of the electrics and we will need to rewire the pub. How long this will take is anyone’s guess.”
However, Mr Whiting – whose company Whiting & Hammond owns several other restaurants and pubs across the Kent and Sussex – said he had been ‘overwhelmed’ by the community support he has received.
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“I have been astonished and surprised by the number of supportive messages we have received from people. I want to assure them that when the place reopens it will be better than ever.”
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