Iconic pub evacuated after kitchen fire

Diners and staff at a Prahran pub were forced to evacuate after a lunch time fire threatened to engulf the hotel.

The fire started in the kitchen of the Mt Erica Hotel in the trendy Melbourne suburb, forcing the occupants to flee the 168-yerar-old icon, which is said to be one of the first licensed venues in the area.

The fire broke out just after 1pm and spread into the roof space.

It took over 40 minutes for 10 fire Rescue Victoria crews, including 24 firefighters and aerial units to get the blaze under control.

No one was injured, with only minor damage caused to the ground floor roof and kitchen spaces.

“Something might have happened in the kitchen, but we’re trying to get to the bottom of that,” manager Scott Glover told Leader. 

“We had a restaurant full of patrons and staff, they’re all fine … the firefighters did their job very well and responded quickly.”

The pub is expected to be closed for a week.

“We’ll see how the experts assess the damage,” Glover said.

“It’s disappointing, we were operating well until this little incident, but we’ll be back again.

“No one was injured and that’s our primary concern.”

7th July 2021