QUICK thinking by firefighters was all that prevented a Poole pub and restaurant from burning to the ground, it has been claimed.

A crew from Poole responded to calls that the Rising Sun Thai restaurant was on fire at around 5.20pm on Wednesday May 4, and were met by smoke and flames billowing out of the building.

They immediately called for back-up from other fire stations across Poole, Bournemouth and East Dorset and it's believed this decision was all that saved the Rising Sun.

Steve Shuck, area manager for Poole Fire Service, said: "We ended up staging a full-scale response to the fire and we managed to stop the whole building being devastated by fire.

"Some very, very good work has gone on here to tackle the fire and stop it spreading.

"The kitchen is devastated and part of the roof has burnt away, but the excellent work of the crew has restricted the damage to a fairly small area."

Mr Shuck said he was not attributing blame, but urged other pubs and restaurants to take health and safety advice very seriously.

The fire started in a wok as chefs were cooking egg fried rice.

They tried in vain to put it out using a towel and a fire extinguisher, but the flames were sucked up into the roof by the extract system.

The system had been newly cleaned on the advice of the fire brigade, following a major blaze at Cranberries bistro and bar in Poole old town two months ago, but manager Paul Forsdike said this appears to have backfired on the Rising Sun because it was particularly powerful.

"From then onwards, there was no way they were going to control it and they called the fire brigade," he said.

There were no customers in the restaurant, but two members of the public walked through the door as the fire broke out.

"They helped check nobody was in the building," said Mr Forsdike. "We would like to thank them and the fire brigade, who were very quick."

Deputy manager Paul Wright evacuated his wife and two small children from a flat in the same building, which escaped the fire, and accompanied head chef Ian Reeves to Poole hospital, where he was treated for a burnt arm.

The damage has not yet been evaluated, but it is thought the Rising Sun will be closed for three or four weeks, and until then customers are advised to book at the Christchurch restaurant.

First published: May 6