The Royal Clarence Hotel in Exeter, England, caught fire around 5:00am BST from a ruptured gas pipe in a neighbouring art gallery, reports BBC.
No casualties have been reported as all guests and staff quickly evacuated the burning building. Local fire services responded quickly but could not douse the fire soon enough.
Despite 20 fire engines working around the clock, the fire was too much for the centuries-old building due to the antiquated construction and materials used. The front facade collapsed swiftly and the interiors gave way soon.
The hotel was built in 1769 and was the first establishment in England to use the term hotel. It added Royal Clarence to the name after a visit from the Dutchess of Clarence in 1827. The Royal Clarence Hotel had seen plenty of stars from Admiral Nelson and composer Liszt to author Thomas Hardy and actor Clark Gable, aside from British royalty. The walls barely stand now and bear the name “Clarence Hotel” defiantly in the wake of the flames. Structural engineers have confirmed that the remnants of the building will fully collapse.Devastating images showing only part of the destruction at the #exeterfire. A sad day for the city. @DSFireUpdates @SWASFTHART @DC_Police pic.twitter.com/SW1Dutwnrs
— D&C Police Drones (@DC_PoliceDrones) October 28, 2016
Horrific scenes from my home town of Exeter as firefighters struggle to stop the destruction of the historic Cathedral Close. #exeterfire pic.twitter.com/OZqEn3E4Rc— Barnaby Edwards (@BarnabyEdwards) October 29, 2016
The building has been a landmark in the city and a concert has been cancelled at Exeter Cathedral.
Chief Fire Officer Lee Howell said: "We're grateful no one has been hurt in this incident but the community has lost a historic building which is a landmark of the city.”
