18 December 2010 Last updated at 12:25 ET

Fire rips through disused Torquay hotel

Torquay fire, photographed by Liberty Feist No-one is thought to have been hurt in the fire

A fire has destroyed a disused building on Devon's Torquay seafront.

Six appliances from around the county tackled the blaze at the Palm Court Hotel.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said it did not believe anyone had been in the building at the time of the blaze.

Onlookers described thick smoke and several loud bangs as the flames took hold after the fire started at about 0630 GMT.

Liberty Feist, who lives nearby, said: "You could see a thick black plume of smoke all 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."

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

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