Royal Albion Hotel fire: Smoke seen coming from building

Fire crews were called to the seafront side of the Royal Albion Hotel after smoke was seen

Fire crews are back on the scene of a fire which damaged a 200-year-old hotel in Brighton over the weekend.

The fire at the Regency-style Royal Albion Hotel - which overlooks Brighton Pier - broke out on Saturday evening.

Three fire crews and two aerial ladders were sent to the scene on Old Steine at about 08:00 BST, after reports of smoke being seen, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (ESFRS) said.

ESFRS said the smoke was seen coming out of a new part of the building.

Crews carried out searches inside the building, a fire service spokesman said.

The fire service said crews had dampened down hotspots and one crew would remain on the scene until early afternoon.

A further inspection is due to take place at 16:00, the ESRFS spokesman said.

Returning guests' property

Demolition of part of the hotel began on Wednesday after Brighton and Hove City Council said parts of the building were "no longer structurally safe".

Part of the A259 seafront road in Brighton is to remain closed for the next three weeks, the city council said.

Properties directly behind the Royal Albion Hotel will also remain inaccessible, a council spokesman said.

Two members of staff will be at the hotel to help return belongings to guests, he said.

The route for the Brighton Pride parade on 5 August will not be affected, but there is likely to be more congestion in the area, according to the event's organisers.

The history of the Royal Albion Hotel

The oldest, and least damaged part of the hotel was the original Albion Hotel, built in 1836. This part is Grade II* listed.

The western section dates from the late 1850s and was known as the Lion Mansion Hotel. This is Grade II listed.

Between the two hotels were two lodging houses built in the mid-1840s. In 1938 they became Louis Tussaud's Waxworks. When this closed in 1979, the building was restored with a similar appearance to the original and, like Lion Mansion, was absorbed into the Royal Albion.

Source: Regency Society of Brighton and Hove

The Regency Society of Brighton and Hove described the building as of "unusual significance", given its prominent location in the city.

Sussex Police have launched an investigation into the fire at the 219-bedroom hotel.

Part of the building is Grade II*-listed by English Heritage and suffered a previous fire in November 1998.

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