Claremont Hotel fire: Part of Eastbourne listed building collapses Published duration 27 November 2019

media caption Firefighters saw a chimney "swaying" in the wind before the wall collapsed

Part of a Victorian seafront hotel destroyed in a huge blaze on Friday has collapsed.

The Grade II* listed Claremont Hotel in Eastbourne was engulfed in flames after a fire began at about 08:50 GMT as most guests were having breakfast.

Part of the rear wall of the hotel has now collapsed after reports a chimney "appeared to be moving", East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (ESFRS) said.

A spokesman said the building remained unstable. No-one was injured.

Two fire crews and building control are on the scene, he added.

image caption The fire at Claremont hotel started at about 08:50 GMT

The fire service contacted building control about one of the chimneys, "which appeared to be moving", a spokesman for Wealden District Council said.

"The wind direction changed which led to the rear wall of the hotel structure collapsing internally on the existing debris," he said.

Further investigations will take place once the building is deemed safe.

On Saturday firefighter Simon Neill said one of the main chimneys had collapsed, along with structures in the centre of the building.

"In the process of that falling it has taken a wall out with it as well, and our attention is drawn towards two further chimney breasts, one at an angle," he said.

image caption The charred facade of the hotel remained standing on Saturday

The owners of the hotel, Daish's Holidays, said the "significant damage" to the hotel, which dates back to the 1850s, was "devastating".

The company said 130 guests and staff members had been in the building when the fire broke out.

About 60 firefighters and 12 engines were sent to the scene at the height of the fire.

Six people were treated for minor injuries and one person was taken to hospital with breathing difficulties following the fire, the ambulance service said.

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