A POPULAR West Somerset hotel was forced to evacuate after a fire.

Fire crews raced to the incident after receiving reports of a chimney fire at the Porlock Weir Hotel on Tuesday, March 20,

Staff and guests left the building as three fire engines and crews tackled the fire.

An eyewitness described seeing people exiting the hotel onto the street as smoke billowed overhead. Speaking to the West Somerset Free Press they said: “We were walking along the harbour when smoke started billowing from the chimney of the hotel. Some local shopkeepers came outside to see what was going on and the hotel staff and guests emptied out into the street.

“The smoke continued to billow thickly for quite some time, for maybe around 15 to 20 minutes before starting to peter out.”

The hotel escaped serious damage and had reopened to guests by Thursday (March 21).