AFTER a blaze swept through a Barrow landmark, two men who raised the alarm have spoken of their relief that no one was hurt.
On Wednesday night, the House of Lords in Abbey Road, was engulfed in flames, reducing the listed building to a skeleton of burnt brick and timber.
Customers at the Bar Continental next door were alerted to the emergency by two passing men who spotted the fire as they went to work.
Connor Adams and Steve Savage were driving to their jobs at the shipyard where they work as subcontractors for MGL Group.
Around 8.30pm when they were travelling down the road, they noticed flames coming from inside the House of Lords.
Mr Adams of Milton Road, said: "I was heading down Abbey Road, as I got closer I saw what looked like flames coming out of the window. As I got closer it was obvious it was a fire."
The 24-year-old was shocked that no one seemed to realise there was any danger but he believes the smoke could have been mistaken as fog.
He continued: "Everyone was oblivious to it, because the smoke was thick it looked like fog."
Mr Adams described running into the pub to raise the alarm, but initially not being taken seriously. He said people thought "it was a joke" when he ran in.
He said: "I ran straight into the pub and they thought it was a joke at first. I said it wasn't a joke and they had to get out."
Mr Adams said he saw around 10 people inside the pub who were watching a League Cup football match between Liverpool and Southampton.
He said after initially doubting him, the look on his face and body language showed he "wasn't messing about".
After the pub was cleared the two men left to go back to work, with their actions only coming to light after they contacted the Evening Mail to see if the people inside the pub were safe.
As emergency services rushed to the area to set up cordons and tackle the blaze on Wednesday night, concerns were also raised for nearby residents who had to be evacuated by police.
Homeowners in Hawke Street were told to flee their houses shortly after the fire started amid fears that a wall could have collapsed onto their properties.
Sarah Banks, who is originally from Yorkshire, only moved to her new home in Hawke Street just before Christmas.
The 36-year-old, who has just started a new job at Sovereign Chemicals in Park Road, had to spend the night at a makeshift refuge centre which was set up at The Forum for those who were stranded.
She said: "A policeman knocked on my door to tell me to get ready to leave because they were worried about gas canisters exploding.
"You could see the flames above the houses from the other side of the street and the whole roof of the building had completely caved in.
"I was worried about what would happen to my three dogs and whether I would be able to bring them into The Forum."
Fortunately, the entertainment hub was more than happy to accommodate Miss Banks and her dogs as free tea and coffee were provided for those who had nowhere to go.
Rebecca Berry, 25, who does contract work in Barrow, was asleep in her rented apartment in Abbey Road when she heard a knock on the door.
She said: "I heard the knock and someone said I would need to evacuate but they didn't say why or that they were the police.
"I thought there had been a fight because I heard shouting out on the street.
"I put on some clothes and ran outside and that's when I saw all the embers and flames and the street was packed with fire engines.
"When we asked police why we were being evacuated they said they were worried about it going up in flames, especially with the wind blowing towards the apartments."
Barrow Borough Councillor Anne Burns also headed down to The Forum sometime after 11pm to offer a helping hand to those in crisis.
She was devastated to hear of the demise of the House of Lords and hopes that an investigation can figure out what triggered the blaze.
Mrs Burns said: "I really want to find out what caused it. It was such a beautiful building that is going to be another one gone from Barrow.
"It was worth saving in whatever state it was in. It was one of the most historic buildings in Barrow."
In times of crisis, schools are usually used as refuge centres but Barrow Borough Council decided to use The Forum given that it was already open following the conclusion of a stage show.
Andy Buck, who is the emergency planning co-ordinator for the council, said: "It was very important that we made sure a place was open.
"Many people could have gone to their friends or families but some just didn't have those local contacts because they were probably working away from home.
"They were left to their own devices so we were more than happy to stay open for as long as possible to help them.
"We have never had anything like this in Barrow before."
Other generous members of the community also came to the aid of those affected by the blaze.
St Mark's Church in Rawlinson Street opened its doors from 10am yesterday to provide toiletries and clothes to families who had to evacuate their homes.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here