Exeter fire: Royal Clarence Hotel collapses as blaze rages

 

A hotel has begun to collapse in a massive fire that has raged throughout the night.

The front of the Royal Clarence, described as England's oldest hotel, has started to fall away in the blaze in Exeter, Devon.
The fire broke out at about 05:00 BST on Friday in buildings on Cathedral Green before spreading to the hotel, which dates back to 1769.
The gas supply has been turned off after a ruptured main fuelled the fire.

Police believe the fire in the hotel is now largely out. They are bringing in a drone to assess the structure of the building.
Structural engineers I have spoken with expect the facade of the hotel to crumble further.
The fire did spread into the Laura Ashley store on High Street but that has been contained.
Services and a concert at Exeter Cathedral have been cancelled and there is an overwhelming sense of sadness in the city.

The fire broke out above the Castle Fine Art gallery where renovation work was under way, before spreading to the Well House Tavern, a cafe and the Royal Clarence Hotel.
A spokesman for the fire service said the gallery and hotel had been destroyed by the blaze, but that the cause of the fire was unknown.
Fire crews are expected to remain at the scene until Sunday.
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.
"We kept significant resources at the scene to ensure we were able to deal with every eventuality and we will continue to do everything we can to protect the heritage of this city.
"I'd like to thank the public for their support and we will be working with other agencies to reduce disruption in the city centre as much as possible."