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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Firefighters remain at Eastbourne Pier fire scene | Firefighters remain at Eastbourne Pier fire scene |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Firefighters have spent the night at the scene of a devastating fire that destroyed part of Eastbourne Pier. | Firefighters have spent the night at the scene of a devastating fire that destroyed part of Eastbourne Pier. |
| About 80 firefighters tackled the blaze which ripped through the main building on the structure on Wednesday evening leaving only a metal skeleton. | About 80 firefighters tackled the blaze which ripped through the main building on the structure on Wednesday evening leaving only a metal skeleton. |
| No-one was injured in the fire which police are not treating as suspicious. | No-one was injured in the fire which police are not treating as suspicious. |
| Fire minister Penny Mordaunt said she would be visiting Eastbourne "as a priority" to speak to local people and thank firefighters for their efforts. | Fire minister Penny Mordaunt said she would be visiting Eastbourne "as a priority" to speak to local people and thank firefighters for their efforts. |
| The blaze broke out behind some wood panelling in the arcade building and billowing smoke filled the air. | The blaze broke out behind some wood panelling in the arcade building and billowing smoke filled the air. |
| The fire service said the incident was being scaled down and 30 firefighters were expected to stay at the scene overnight. | The fire service said the incident was being scaled down and 30 firefighters were expected to stay at the scene overnight. |
| Ms Mordaunt commented: "It is heart-breaking to see such a wonderful Victorian pier so damaged. Thankfully no-one appears to have been hurt." | Ms Mordaunt commented: "It is heart-breaking to see such a wonderful Victorian pier so damaged. Thankfully no-one appears to have been hurt." |
| Eastbourne Borough Council leader David Tutt said he was hopeful the pier could be repaired, and he understood the fire had been started by an electrical fault. | Eastbourne Borough Council leader David Tutt said he was hopeful the pier could be repaired, and he understood the fire had been started by an electrical fault. |
| Des Pritchard, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service chief fire officer, said: "Our firefighters have saved a huge amount of the pier - there's a great deal that's still there. | Des Pritchard, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service chief fire officer, said: "Our firefighters have saved a huge amount of the pier - there's a great deal that's still there. |
| "It is very sad but pier fires are very difficult to fight and many result in the complete loss of the pier." | "It is very sad but pier fires are very difficult to fight and many result in the complete loss of the pier." |
| Eastbourne MP Stephen Lloyd said it appeared that the pier had been saved from being entirely consumed. | Eastbourne MP Stephen Lloyd said it appeared that the pier had been saved from being entirely consumed. |
| "The good news is that we don't have a Brighton or Hastings scenario where the whole pier is destroyed," he said. | "The good news is that we don't have a Brighton or Hastings scenario where the whole pier is destroyed," he said. |
| Pier fires | Pier fires |
| Airbourne, one of Eastbourne's biggest events, is due to take place on the seafront between 14 and 17 August. | Airbourne, one of Eastbourne's biggest events, is due to take place on the seafront between 14 and 17 August. |
| The pier was built in the 1870s and, according to the Piers Society, previously had a theatre and a "camera obscura" built on it. | The pier was built in the 1870s and, according to the Piers Society, previously had a theatre and a "camera obscura" built on it. |
| Today, a number of cafes, bars and a nightclub are situated along the pier. | Today, a number of cafes, bars and a nightclub are situated along the pier. |
| It has featured in films and television programmes including the Michael Caine movie Last Orders and Brit flick Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. | It has featured in films and television programmes including the Michael Caine movie Last Orders and Brit flick Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. |
| Hastings Pier was almost entirely destroyed by fire in 2010 and West Pier in Brighton burned down in 2003. | Hastings Pier was almost entirely destroyed by fire in 2010 and West Pier in Brighton burned down in 2003. |
| The BBC's Sarah Bell: My Eastbourne | The BBC's Sarah Bell: My Eastbourne |
| As someone raised on the sunshine coast, seeing the pier in flames has left me feeling deeply sad and unsettled. | As someone raised on the sunshine coast, seeing the pier in flames has left me feeling deeply sad and unsettled. |
| The symbol of the town, its Victorian structure was the constant backdrop to my childhood of chilly dips in the sea. | The symbol of the town, its Victorian structure was the constant backdrop to my childhood of chilly dips in the sea. |
| It even played a part in the social structure of teenage years - with the beaches either side reserved for the coolest kids. | It even played a part in the social structure of teenage years - with the beaches either side reserved for the coolest kids. |
| Later it was where we would drink local cider and snog boys, in the years before nights out involved tottering up to the nightclub at the end. | Later it was where we would drink local cider and snog boys, in the years before nights out involved tottering up to the nightclub at the end. |
| Within an hour of the news my Facebook feed was filled with local friends expressing sadness and shock that a key part part of the town's history could be so easily destroyed. | Within an hour of the news my Facebook feed was filled with local friends expressing sadness and shock that a key part part of the town's history could be so easily destroyed. |
| I just hope that it can be restored and not suffer the fate of the structures in neighbouring towns. | I just hope that it can be restored and not suffer the fate of the structures in neighbouring towns. |