Pub used for new Harry Potter ‘severely damaged’ by fire

Fire crews were called to the Cleave Inn in Lustleigh, Devon, after a blaze in its storeroom in the early hours of Sunday morning, Oct. 19.

The village on the edge of Dartmoor has been used for filming of the new HBO series and revival of the iconic J. K. Rowling franchise - after the cast and crew moved the set from Cornwall to Devon.

But the owner of the Cleave Inn revealed his pub, which was closed as part of the production, has been forced to shut again for a "clean up and re-stock."

In a post on social media, Luke Smith said: "Whilst we are still not certain of the cause of the fire, and how the next few days look, we are working extremely hard to ensure we reopen as soon as possible.

"The pub means a lot to the village, and the village means a lot to us, so we'll do everything we can to get these doors back open to our loyal customers."

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue said it received a report of a fire within a storeroom of the pub in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The pub had been shut for filming on Wednesday and Thursday last week.

Eight fire engines were sent to the scene and the fire service said the storeroom was severely damaged by fire.

Its cause is now under investigation.

The fire came just days after residents in Lustleigh had celebrated the arrival of the Harry Potter film crew and some "wizardry intervention" that finally helped them ill in their potholes.

They had been complaining for years but the film crew sorted out the once treacherous road surface.

The filming behind the project had been described as the 'worst kept secret' in the village under the secretive codename Brown Cat.

Filming previously took place in the quiet fishing village of Cadgwith on The Lizard for the highly anticipated television adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

Dominic McLaughlin was pictured in full costume as the new Harry Potter.

McLaughlin, who was selected from over 32,000 hopefuls, steps into the iconic role made famous by Daniel Radcliffe.

He leads a fresh-faced cast that includes Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger. Nick Frost, known for Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, takes on the role of Hagrid.