THESE photos show the aftermath of a ferocious fire which gutted the roof of a Droitwich hotel just as staff were getting ready to open after the coronavirus pandemic.

Charred timbers remain piled up on the grass near the largely deserted car park of the Droitwich Travelodge in Wychbold, near Droitwich following the devastating blaze which ripped through the hotel roof. Fire service tape was still festooned across the front of the building on Saturday.

A spokesman for Travelodge said: “The hotel is currently closed due to the Covid-19 lockdown and was scheduled to reopen next week. We can confirm no one was hurt and we would like to thank the emergency services for their rapid response.”

We reported how the blaze forced the A38 to close in both directions as five crews of firefighters tried to tackle the inferno.

A spokesman for Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said: "We got a call at 10.21am to a fire at the Travelodge in Droitwich.

"It’s a fire in the roof space of a two-storey building.

"We initially fought the fire with hose reel jets and were using a thermal imaging camera. Two crews were using breathing apparatus.

"There are no casualties as the Travelodge has been shut because of the pandemic.

"They were literally opening it up today. Police are on the scene redirecting traffic and we’re encouraging people to avoid the area.”

At one stage there were eight fire engines at the scene. The fire service tweeted at the time: "Building fire involving hotel at Rashwood off A38 crews and specialist appliances in attendance - please avoid area due to heavy traffic."

West Mercia Police tweeted at the time of the fire: "Road closures are currently in place at the roundabout from the M5 northbound onto Roman Road. Diversions are in place past Ford Farm."

First Worcester bus service Tweeted: “Due to a fire at Starbucks in Wychbold, service 144/A are diverting between Droitwich Town Centre and Puddle Wharf Island in Bromsgrove until further notice."