Historic hotel destroyed by 50 hour blaze

The remains of the Royal Clarence Hotel Credit: The Devon & Exeter Institution

The historic Royal Clarence Hotel in Exeter has been completely gutted by a fire that has been burning for more than 50 hours.

The building is thought to be the first hotel in England, but now only a crumbling facade remains.

The fire was all but extinguished on Saturday afternoon, after the gas supply was turned off by engineers. However, firefighters say that 'hotspots' and 'pockets of fire' remain underneath the rubble.

The fire started at an art gallery early on Friday and the flames spread to the 250-year-old hotel, forcing guests to evacuate.

No one is thought to have been seriously hurt, but police have cordoned off the surrounding area.

It is still unclear what caused the fire.