FIREFIGHTERS were back at the scene of a fire which ripped through a Gwent pub this morning, following reports of smoke.

As previously reported, emergency services – including firefighters and police officers – were at Old Hearth pub, on Hendre Farm Drive in Ringland, yesterday, Sunday, battling a fire in the vacant building.

A spokesman for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) confirmed that they received reports of the fire at around 2.06pm on Sunday (January 17) and that multiple crews used specialist equipment to extinguish the fire.

“A stop message was received at approximately 5:02pm,” said the SWFRS spokesman.

“Today (January 18) at approximately 9am crews re-inspected the property due to reports of smoke. Two appliances attended the scene and the incident concluded at approximately 9.28am.”

While firefighters tackled the flames yesterday, Gwent Police officers were also at the scene helping divert traffic from the scene.

A spokeswoman for Gwent Police said: “We got a call from the fire service at about 2.10pm yesterday, reporting the fire at the Open Hearth public house.

“They’d requested assistance with traffic. The road was closed while the fire service dealt with the fire and it was reopened at about 5pm.”

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service will determine the cause of the fire and - if it's deemed suspicious - police will be involved.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Although the cause of this fire is not yet known, this isn’t the first time there has been a fire at Old Hearth pub in Ringland, which closed last year.

There are reports of a fire at the building in November 2020, with some residents claiming the area has become a hotspot for fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour.

While the fire blazed some people took to social media to suggest that the building – which, along with the site, is on lease – should be torn down by Newport City Council (NCC) to prevent future incidents of this nature.

A spokeswoman for NCC said: “We recognise the detrimental condition of this site and we are taking further steps to get it remedied by the leaseholder as well as discussing its possible future use.”