A VILLAGE pub near Tadcaster was today devastated by fire.

The Three Hares, at Bilbrough, suffered damage estimated at thousands of pounds in the blaze, which broke out at about 9.15am.

The fire comes less than a year after the pub suffered what its landlord called a "catastrophic" loss of business caused by the A64 roadworks at Copmanthorpe.

But personnel manager Wendy Mansford said the pub would be able to reopen soon, as only the living quarters had been severely damaged.

Mrs Mansford was in an upstairs office when she smelled smoke coming from a downstairs room.

She said: "I went downstairs to check what it was and saw smoke billowing out of the fuse box. We've just had fire safety training so I knew exactly what to do.

"I screamed upstairs at one of our staff, who stays in a bedroom at the pub, to get out. By this time, there were flames and the sound of crackling in the stairwell.

"Initially, some staff tried to put it out with some fire extinguishers, but in the end we just got out.

"I wasn't terrified at the time - I don't get hysterical, but the shock hit me afterwards. It could have been a lot worse."

Four appliances and a turntable ladder from Tadcaster, Acomb and York attended the scene.

Sub-officer Ted Lumb, from Tadcaster fire station, said the fire could have been much more serious if it had broken out in the middle of the night.

He said: "The fuse box was unfortunately right at the bottom of the stairs, so the heat and smoke billowed upstairs so much more damage was created.

"When we arrived a lot of smoke was coming out of the roof. Thankfully all the doors were shut on the landing which minimised the damage inside the bedrooms."

Four firefighters, wearing breathing apparatus, and two hose reel jets were used to extinguish the blaze.

The staircase and hallway were severely damaged.

Mr Lumb estimated it could cost thousands of pounds to repair. He added: "We always tell people to thoroughly check their electrics. A faulty fuse box was the likely cause of this fire. I'm very pleased with the way our team dealt with the operation. It was text book."

Last autumn, the pub landlord, Hugh Mansford, protested strongly about the closure of an access road into Bilbrough from the A64, saying the pub had suffered a dramatic drop in trade as a result.

The Highways Agency blocked access to Redhill Field Lane from the eastbound carriageway after motorists used the village as a "rat-run" to avoid traffic jams caused by the Copmanthorpe roadworks.

Mrs Mansford said: "This is the last thing we needed after the year of roadworks on the A64, which has badly affected the village.

"Hopefully the pub will be back in action in a few days, the repairs can be done while it is open. The main thing is no one was hurt."

Updated: 14:49 Wednesday, September 04, 2002