Investigation begins into seafront hotel fire

An investigation is now underway after reports confirmed that two people were spotted in a derelict hotel in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, moments before it was set ablaze.

It took over 40 firefighters to attend the scene at the Royal Pier Hotel around 6pm last Wednesday evening. The flames were very fierce and neighbours reported that they saw the hotel floors fall through before the firefighters could begin to extinguish the blaze.

Some nearby premises including residential flats, the Captain’s Cabin restaurant and the Anchor Head Hotel had to be evacuated by emergency services as a precautionary measure.

This was not the first time that the abandoned hotel had been damaged in a fire as the same happened in June last year.

A spokeswoman for Avon Fire and Rescue spokeswoman explained that fire crews had done everything possible to stop the badly damaged hotel from becoming a fire hazard.

Police reported that two people had been seen in the hotel before it started and the probe is on-going into what happened and how the fire was started.

The fire service has confirmed that there were still two fire engines on the scene the next day, damping down and performing routine hotspot checks.