Pub manager hailed hero for helping rescue residents after fire ...
A quick-thinking pub manager has been hailed an “absolute hero” after rushing to aid of residents when a blaze broke out in flats upstairs.
The “scary” fire above the Grey Horse pub and restaurant in Kingston’s Richmond Road destroyed one of flats above and has forced it to temporarily close.
Around 15 residents rushed out of the properties, with the venue hailing its assistant manager, Callum Nixon, as a hero for his quick-thinking in helping the tenants, including pub staff, to vacate safely without injuries.
Mr Nixon, who had just finished his final shift at the Grey Horse “bravely” went upstairs early on Sunday to help those affected out onto the street before the fire brigade arrived at around 3am, said General Manager, Ionut Bratean.
The pub praised staff member Callum Nixon for helping rescue the tenants living above from an early morning fire
Grey Horse
“One of the tenants fell asleep and had a heater on, and that started a fire,” he said.
“He panicked and the other tenants tried to sort out the fire but everything blew up and suddenly there were large flames and they couldn’t do anything.
“But Callum went upstairs to take them out to the street, he was very brave, he didn’t try to save anything else [in the restaurant], just the people.”
Mr Nixon, who is starting a new job on Monday at another venue run by the pub’s parent company Smok’d, had been toasting his final day with a bottle of whisky when the blaze struck.
“For his farewell drinks, we gave him a bottle of whisky, and they were just chilling in the garden outside but when it happened, he went to save them,” said Mr Bratean.
The aftermath of the fire at Kingston's Grey Horse
Grey Horse
The residents of the flats are now living with family or other colleagues after the fire damage, he said.
Mr Nixon stayed onsite until 8am to help the Fire Brigade before finally heading home.
“Shocked” staff are now working to reopen the Grey Horse, with a combination of fire damage and rain coming through the burnt roof forcing it to temporarily close.
“We need roof repairs to start trading again, because of the heavy rain overnight coming in,” Mr Bratean said.
“But we’re in the process of sorting it out because we’ve got 20 people here who can’t work at the moment.”
He estimated that the venue would partially re-open in the coming days once repairs had been completed.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said four fire engines and around 25 firefighters tackled the fire which destroyed a one-roomed flat and half of the communal area on the second floor.
The spokesperson said the cause of the fire was under investigation.
