A hotel has been destroyed and hundreds of people were led to safety during a fire in Blackpool.
About 100 firefighters tackled flames at the six-storey Grand Hotel in Station Road on Monday night, which is now expected to be demolished, according to the BBC.
Some 100 people were evacuated from 60 holiday flats and a nightclub as a fire service spokesman described the scene as "like something from the Blitz".
During the incident, floors and walls collapsed as firefighters attempted to extinguish the flames, but luckily nobody was injured.
A fire service spokesman said: “It's a scene of absolute devastation, the hotel was collapsing.
“At the fire's height it looked like something from the blitz. It is not yet clear how the fire began but we are not ruling out arson.”
As well as leading people to safety from the nightclub and holiday flats, other buildings including guesthouses and hotels were evacuated as a precaution.
The building, made up of 52 self-contained flats, had been on the market with a price tag of £1.3m.
Engineers from Blackpool Council will visit the site later to make a full assessment.
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By Gemma Sharkey
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