EAST ANGLIA: The manager of a hotel has praised firefighters and staff after about 100 people had to be evacuated following a fire in one of its kitchens today.

Fire crews from Carrow and Earlham were called to Dunston Hall Hotel, Ipswich Road, south of Norwich, just before 9.45am after a fire started in one of the ovens.

Denis Mcevoy, general manager, said about 100 people were evacuated from the hotel after a “small fire” started in one of the ovens in its three kitchens.

He said: “The fire brigade were fantastic and staff are well trained. A lot of people had gone out to play golf. We had about 100 customers and staff but we got everyone out.”

Mr Mcevoy said everything was quickly under control and the hotel was soon up and running “as normal” with meals being prepared from the other kitchens.

A spokesman for Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service said it was a “reasonable fire” which caused damaged to the part of the kitchen the fire broke out in.

Firefighters used hose reel jets, an extinguisher and breathing apparatus to deal with the incident and ventilated the property. They left the scene at around 10.30am.

All staff and guests were evacuated safely and there were no injuries.

The spokesman added: “Crews did a good job got there quickly and got it under control.”

Dunston Hall Hotel, which has 169 rooms and 11 conference rooms, was built in 1859 and had been restored by the De Vere group which now runs it.