Tale of two fires: Trinity and Tivoli Spoons threatened by flames

Cambridge’s fiery near-death-experience was caused not by bread, but bacon.

Trinity, along with that equally illustrious Cambridge institution, the Tivoli Wetherspoons, faced the threat of flames in the early hours yesterday.

Both threats began in the kitchen, it seems. That is where the similarities end, however.

Trinity students in Angel Court accommodation were forced to vacate their rooms when the fire alarm went off.

The cause of the alarm was found to be burnt bacon, with the culprit saying, “the extractor fan doesn’t work!”

At 3am…

Whilst two red-faced male students had to declare their equally red-faced female ‘guests’ to the enquiring porter, the smell of the supposed fire led one student to believe their olives had gone off.

Had they known what was happening on Chesterton Road, however, they might not have been so sulky.

As Trinity students stood outside, the Tivoli pub on Chesterton Road was on fire, and had been since 3am, with next door pub The Boathouse being quickly evacuated.

The site of the blaze

The Tivoli roof collapsed in the process, making the popular pub no longer safe.

The blaze continued until Saturday afternoon, leading to the closure of several roads and disruptive traffic jams.

While Trinity students mourned their olives and bacon, and in the case of two male students their modesty, fire-fighters were fighting a real fire just down the road.