A hotel building on the Devon coast has been destroyed by fire.

The disused hotel on the Torquay seafront is thought by Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service to have been empty at the time of the blaze.

According to the BBC, an investigation into the cause of the blaze at the Palm Court Hotel is now underway, after six crews from across the county were required to tackle the flames.

Onlookers heard a series of loud bangs after the fire started burning.

One local resident told the news provider: "You could see a thick black plume of smoke along the seafront.

"There were sounds of windows cracking and breaking in the heat of the fire, which was so severe it broke through the roof."

Although the hotel was disused, the outbreak of fire does highlight the need for a proper fire risk assessment to be carried out at all commercial properties.

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no but a remote p type system would of been better?

Don't get the point in this as it was disused - not having read the actual link,say it was arson - should the building have been demolished due to being disused as a FRA seen it as an arson risk?

Or just another trade body trying to justify their existance?

Nope, why they burn down!

that might be an acceptable risk, i dunno.