An investigation is underway after a fire at a pub in Seaham.
The fire broke at Bar Avenue pub in the early hours of Thursday May 4.
Firefighters spent hours trying to extinguish the blaze.
Residents told SRNews that it began at 1am and was put out by 4am.
Paul Wildon, a local resident, said: “I could smell the smoke from the back windows and thought it was one of the gardens that was on fire. I looked out the window and saw flames at the Bar Avenue upstairs.”
4 Appliances and Aerial Ladder Platform are in attendance at The Avenue, Seaham. This is a large public house well alight.
— CDD Fire and Rescue (@CDDFRS) May 4, 2017
By Theofanis Pegkas and Amina Ibrahim.