Images show aftermath of The Rising Sun fire in Sudbury Hill

Road closures remain in place and police enquiries are ongoing following the “devastatingly sad” fire at The Rising Sun hotel and pub in Sudbury Hill yesterday evening (October 9).

In the pictures taken this morning, a cordon could be seen around the pub, with the first-floor windows shattered and roof missing.

Another look at the Rising Sun pub (Image: Atima Bhatnagar)

Around 70 fire fighters tackled the blaze, as thick smoke and flames were seen billowing out of the building, shortly before 6pm.

During this time, crowds of people gathered as they watched the flames rise and crews at the scene.

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) had the situation under control by 7.15pm with no injuries reported.

Police at the scene (Image: Grant Williams / LDRS)

A man claiming to be the brother of the owner, Kanapathippillai Sutheskumar, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that he is over visiting his sister from Canada and first heard about the fire from the news.

He said: “I don’t know how it started but it started in the room upstairs. My sister was inside when the fire started, in the office downstairs, and there were also people in the restaurant but not many. She is OK though.”

Smoke rising from the building (Image: Manish Patel)

Although the fire has now been put out, a number of street cordons remain in place at Greenford Road and South Vale to prevent vehicle access while the police and fire brigade carry out investigations into how the fire started.

People watching over the fire (Image: Atima Bhatnagar)

A bystander, who did not want to be named, said they noticed it while walking their dog the previous evening. They said: “I noticed the smoke at first, then all of a sudden the flames started coming up and out through the tiles and the roof.”

They added: “There were hundreds of people just standing here watching, hundreds and hundreds. No-one has any idea how it started. I stayed and watched for about half an hour but left before it was put out.”

The Liberal Democrat councillor for Sudbury, Paul Lorber, said: “The fire at the historic Rising Sun is devastatingly sad news for the Sudbury Hill area. It has been a prominent feature of the area for many generations. I hope it can be saved and rebuilt.”

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.