Much of the roof of the 77-bedroom Grade II listed building, which was built in 1879, was destroyed. About 62 guests were staying at the hotel, although most were out of the building when the fire broke out, and more than 20 staff were evacuated from the scene.
The fire was believed to have started in the west side of the roof. It spread from there and caused large clouds of smoke to billow across the seafront. Several floors were alight as 15 crews at the scene used aerial platforms, hose reels and breathing apparatus to tackle the incident.
Parts of the city's Leigham Street, Citadel Road and Eliot Street were sealed off by emergency services. Divisional Officer Malcolm Carmichael said it was a major incident for the crews. He said: 'They went in and made their way up the upper floors, checking room by room to make sure nobody was up there while there was a fire burning above their heads.'
Much of the roof of the 77-bedroom Grade II listed building, which was built in 1879, was destroyed. About 62 guests were staying at the hotel, although most were out of the building when the fire broke out, and more than 20 staff were evacuated from the scene.
The fire was believed to have started in the west side of the roof. It spread from there and caused large clouds of smoke to billow across the seafront. Several floors were alight as 15 crews at the scene used aerial platforms, hose reels and breathing apparatus to tackle the incident.
Parts of the city's Leigham Street, Citadel Road and Eliot Street were sealed off by emergency services. Divisional Officer Malcolm Carmichael said it was a major incident for the crews. He said: 'They went in and made their way up the upper floors, checking room by room to make sure nobody was up there while there was a fire burning above their heads.'
