The Hotel, damaged in a fire yesterday, reopened for dinner last night and continued serving customers through its unaffected coffee shop and restaurant today.

But Co-owners Tony and Julie Hills said a small fire on Thursday morning had knocked out the Pipe and Drum Bar, which faces onto Grey Street.

They hope the front bar can reopen to paying customers next week.

"The Pipe and Drum bar will be closed for a couple of days while we have some repairs completed," said the co-owners.

They said the fire was limited to the surrounds of an old fireplace that had probably caused it.

Firefighters had a busy day yesterday, beginning by suppressing what could have been three dangerous fires in a 24 hour period. They also extinguished a cooking fire in a residential unit on Coronation Avenue and a chimney fire on Digby Court.

Gerard Hills, who helped contain the blaze before firefighters could arrive, said the fire in the old pub could have been far worse.

"If it had happened at three o'clock in the morning it could have been different," he said.