THE OWNER of a popular village pub near Aberystwyth has said she has been left “shaken up” but feels “lucky to be alive” after a major fire ripped through the building.

Caitlin Morse, who took over Y Ffarmers Arms pub in Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn in July with Lewis Johnston, would usually sleep in the pub over the weekend, but decided not to on Friday night – hours before the blaze tore through the roof space of the two-storey building at around 6.50am, leaving the building “gutted”.

Firefighters were called to the pub, which is featured in the Michelin Guide, Good Pub Guide and AA Restaurant and Pub Guide, at 7.26am on Saturday morning.

The couple said the pub, which employs nine staff and was refurbished just six months ago, will now be closed “for the foreseeable future”, but that the “beautiful” pub would be rebuilt and reopened.

No-one was hurt in the fire, but Caitlin, who usually sleeps in the pub on weekends due to late openings decided not to on Friday as she had “finished early”.

She told the Cambrian News: “We’re all really shaken up, and it is very raw but I’m feeling lucky to be alive. Just luckily no-one was hurt. We have lost a major part of our lives, it’s not just a building or a pub, it’s the hub of the village.”

Caitlin said the upstairs of the pub has “collapsed” under the weight of the damaged roof, and that there are worries “whether [the building] will remain standing”.

The pub is a mainstay of the village, with the building used as a community hub for village life, and local residents have left dozens of messages of support for the couple, and have rallied around offering help to rebuild the pub in the wake of the fire.

“We have been simply overwhelmed with the support and love we have received since the fire,” Caitlin said.

“It’s hard, but we will rebuild, and we will keep Y Ffarmers name going.”

Caitlin said that she expects it will take around nine months to reopen.

See this week’s Aberystwyth paper for the full story, available in shops and as a digital edition now