The scene of the fire in Strood. Picture: Keyan Milanian

by Lynn Cox

Part of Strood town centre was closed this morning after fire broke out in an old pub in North Street.

The former Three Gardeners hostelry went up in flames shortly after midnight.

The fire, which ripped through the whole building, may have left it in an unsafe condition.

At the height of the blaze, around 40 firefighters were involved in the operation.

Crews from Strood, Medway, Thames-side and Cliffe fire stations, along with a height vehicle from Maidstone, were sent to the scene.

A spokesman for Strood fire station said: "We were called out at 12.05am and when we arrived the place was well alight.

The flames were intense and were leaping right across the road.

"The staff from the kebab shop next door had alerted us to the fire and they had got out of the shop and were standing in the car park opposite.

"We tackled the flames for hours but the inside of the building has been destroyed, there is nothing left but the shell of the building.

"We eventually left at about 4am and other crews took over, to damp down and make sure the flames didn’t reignite.

Fire investigators were returning to the site today to try to find out how the fire started.