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Eastbourne Pier fire: Blaze at Victorian attraction believed to have started in arcade panelling Eastbourne Pier fire: Blaze at Victorian attraction believed to have started in games arcade panelling
(35 minutes later)
A fire has broken out at the pier in the East Sussex seaside town of Eastbourne. A fire has broken out at a pier in the East Sussex seaside town of Eastbourne.
East Sussex Fire and Rescue Services believe the blaze started in a wall panel of an arcade at the Victorian attraction. East Sussex Fire and Rescue Services believe the blaze started in a wall panel of a games arcade at the Victorian attraction, and were called to the scene at 3:13pm on Wednesday.
Firefighters were joined on the scene by police officer, coastguards, and lifeboat crews. Firefighters were joined at the pier by police officers, coastguards, and lifeboat crews, where people have been evacuated.
People have been evacuated from the Pier, according to the Eastbourne Herald. "Due to the nature of the building involved, a number of crews have been sent to the scene, including those from Eastbourne, Uckfield, Pevensey and Hailsham."
More to follow The incident is ongoing, the fire service added.
Onlookers in the seaside town have tweeted photos of the blaze, and posted videos showing black plumes of smoke rising from the pier on social media app Vine.
Vine from scene RT @meeware: Lifeboat on hand at Eastbourne pier fire https://t.co/U6hoNcpHJr
Earlier this month, officials warned smokers to be cautious on the monument, after a cigarette butt sparked a fire underneath its decking, according to the Eastbourne Herald.
Eastbourne Pier pictured in 2010. (Getty) Since it opened in 1870, the pier has helped to make the seaside town a popular resort.
On its website, Eastbourne Pier is described as a "wonderful place", "the perfect day out" and "one of the most popular attractions in the UK".
It says it caters for all age groups and features an amusement arcade called Funtasia, the Waterfront Cafe Bar and Victorian tea rooms. The pier is also home to the Atlantis nightclub.
The vast amounts of wood used to construct piers makes them prone to fires. Southend Pier in Essex caught on ire for the fourth time in 50 years in October 2005 - destroying a pub, restaurant, fish and chip shop as well as an arcade and train station.
In March 2003, the largely derelict West Pier in Brighton was gutted by a blaze, leaving only its metal structure standing, while more than £1.5million worth of damaged was caused to a pier in Hunstanton, Norfolk, when it was engulfed in flames in May 2002.
Additional reporting by PA