Huge blaze at Portsmouth historic pub The Ship Anson caused by discarded cigarette, according to landlord, who thanks 'best community in the world' for huge support

Fire crews from stations in Southsea, Waterlooville, Cosham, Portchester and Eastleigh were scrambled after several emergency calls about the fire at The Ship Anson pub in The Hard at 3.30am on Sunday.

The blaze had caused significant damage to the pub’s beer garden and begun to spread inside the main building when firefighters arrived.

Landlord Keith Newby, who lives above the pub with his wife Maria and daughter Georgina, said his family were grateful to be alive after the premise’s smoke alarms woke them up.

The cause of the blaze appears to be a discarded cigarette, which sparked a huge fire in just twenty minutes – and could have seen the whole pub destroyed had fire fighters arrived just minutes late, according to Keith.

The 48-year-old said: ‘We saw it on the CCTV. No ifs or buts about it – it was a cigarette.

‘It’s taken 20 minutes to create the fire.’

‘The fire alarms woke us up. If it weren’t for them, we could have been dead.

‘We were three minutes from the whole place going up.’

Keith, who has worked in pubs in cities across the world and has managed the historic Portsmouth venue for more than three years, said he was ‘gutted’ to watch part of his livliehood go up in flames.

But the publican has been overwhelmed by the huge outpouring of support – from spare rooms to roast dinners – offered by ‘the best community in the world’.

He said: ‘The Royal Navy came over, they were trying to kick-in the door to rescue us.

‘We’ve had people turning up with mops and buckets.

‘We went into nearby Loch Fyne (seafood restaurant) and they wouldn’t let us pay. We’ve had 75 offers of roast dinners.

‘From the moment it happened, we’ve had thousands of comments on Facebook.

‘It’s really humbling. It’s the best community in the world – I’ve worked all over the world, and Portsmouth really is the best.’

A GoFundMe set up by a customer looking to help the pub and its 21 members of staff has already raised more than £540.

Addressing fire crews, Keith added: ‘I honestly can’t thank them enough. As soon as they arrived we felt safe.’

And landlord has high praise for the pub's owner, Greene King, who are supporting the family in temporary hotel accommodation.

He said: ‘Where they instill the fire drills, it was just automatic and we got out.

‘Within an hour, people were looking after (us).’

The site has a history as an ale house dating back to the 12th century, and its current pub building was designed in 1922, with the building suffering bomb damage during the Second World War.

Keith said: ‘The pub has been a bit of drama. It’s not going anywhere soon. I love it.’

No decision has been made on when the pub will be opening.

Standing outside the front of the pub and looking out on HMS Warrior and the harbour, Keith said: ‘We just can’t wait to reopen. We’ll be here forever. How can you beat this view?’