By Elizabeth Broughton

Last updated at 12:27, Monday, 05 July 2010

A bride and groom’s perfect day went up in smoke after a blaze broke out in the Carlisle hotel hosting their reception.

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The fire started on the roof of the Crown and Mitre hotel, in English Street, at around 6pm on Saturday – just as newly-weds David and Lisa Hewison had finished their wedding breakfast.

The couple, along with their 70 guests and residents, had to be evacuated as four fire engines and an aerial ladder platform raced to the scene to tackle the blaze, which took around an hour to extinguish.

Guests described the hotel filling with smoke and bride Lisa, from Alston, said: “We heard the alarms and we just thought it was a false alarm, but unfortunately it’s turned out worse than I expected.

“There are about 50 more people who are starting to arrive for the evening do but we’re going to the Tithe Barn instead. There are a lot of people staying at the hotel as well but they’ve said that they’ll do their best.”

Firefighters were forced to cut away part of the historic hotel’s roof to tackle the blaze, but said that there was no major damage.

Lisa’s maid of honour, Tracey Trolley, had the job of trying to organise the wedding guests after the fire broke out.

She said: “We’ve been out here some time but we’re keeping up a happy front. We’re determined to have a good night.

“The wedding breakfast was wonderful and the alarms sounded after all the speeches – I can’t say it was well-timed but it could’ve been worse. Everyone was just getting ready to enjoy the rest of the evening.”

Station manager Lynsey McVay, of Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, said the fire service had been called after the blaze was spotted by a resident.

First published at 11:24, Monday, 05 July 2010
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk