A MAN was hurt and guests and staff had to be evacuated when a carelessly discarded cigarette started a fire in the bar of a popular York hotel.

More than 40 guests and three members of staff were forced to leave the Pavilion Hotel, in Main Street, Fulford, early this morning.

Mike Fawcett, 32, a night porter at the Georgian country house hotel, was taken to York Hospital suffering from smoke and injuries caused by inhaling the dry powder from a fire extinguisher.

The fire destroyed two sets of curtains and damaged the floor, walls and ceiling in the corner of the bar area which adjoins a small patio at the Best Western hotel. A spokeswoman for the hotel told the Evening Press that it had been "business as usual" today after staff worked through the night to clear up the mess.

She said a number of staff had been on hand to fight the fire with extinguishers, and guests were able to return to their rooms after about an hour.

She added: "It was all over pretty quickly. There was lots of smoke but not many flames."

A North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: "A carelessly discarded cigarette was left smouldering in the curtain and that eventually set alight."

The ground-floor bar area also suffered extensive smoke damage in the blaze, which broke out at about 2.20am.

Updated: 10:35 Friday, March 14, 2003