Brighton hotel blaze: Winds hamper firefighters

Strong winds hampered firefighters arsenic they tackled a blaze astatine a 200-year-old edifice successful Brighton.

The occurrence astatine the regency-style Royal Albion Hotel - which overlooks Brighton Pier - broke retired connected Saturday evening.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said no-one was injured but "difficult conditions" meant radical had to beryllium evacuated from adjacent buildings.

The Old Steine and Kings Road were unopen with radical told to enactment distant owed to "significant smoke" made worse by wind.

Brighton and Hove City Council opened a remainder centre to supply enactment for radical evacuated from their homes.

On Sunday morning, the occurrence work said it was "scaling backmost operations" from the blaze, which astatine its tallness had 15 occurrence engines astatine the scene.

Council person Bella Sankey said connected Saturday night: "These are precise bittersweet scenes successful our metropolis this evening.

"On behalf of the metropolis assembly I privation to springiness my acknowledgment to the exigency services for attending the occurrence astatine the historical Royal Albion Hotel successful the bosom of our city.

"We impulse everyone to proceed pursuing proposal from exigency services and to delight support distant from the area."

The 219-bedroom hotel, which was built successful 1826, is tally by Britannia Hotels.

Part of the gathering was Grade II*-listed by English Heritage and suffered a erstwhile occurrence successful November 1998.