Derelict hotel fire sends smoke across town
BBCFirefighters tackling a derelict building fire in Devon said it is now under control after "large amounts of smoke" sparked an emergency appeal for people to shut their windows.
Emergency services asked residents near the former Sherwood Hotel on Belgrave Road in Torquay to close all windows and doors to prevent any "health issues", and for people to avoid the area.
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said it was the second time in three days that crews had been called to the building.
Emergency services were first alerted to the ongoing fire at about 13:50 BST on Sunday and said about 90 personal was in attendance.
The fire service initially sent four fire engines and an aerial ladder platform to the scene. Belgrave Road has been closed both ways from Falkland Road to the A379, Torbay Road.
On Sunday evening, group commanding officer Ben Williams said they were starting to scale back their efforts after the "significant fire".
"At its height, we had 10 fire engines, plus support officers and a number of officers attending the scene - around 90 personnel in total," he said.
He said the main concern was the "structural stability" of the building as the fire consumed "multiple floors within the three-storey derelict hotel".
Williams said: "The building was vacant and empty and has now had a complete collapse of the roof, so that presents some remaining hazards in terms of us extinguishing the fire fully and gaining access.
"We're using our aerial appliances to provide water firefighting, along with our drone teams to identify remaining hotspots.
"The eye in the sky gives us a perfect view of what remains alight in the building when it's just too dangerous to enter the building."
Earlier, Devon and Cornwall Police said several fire and police officers were at the scene.
"Please avoid the area for the time being," it said.
"The advice is for residents, and particularly those nearest to the hotel, to close all windows and doors to prevent any health issues."
Any residents who may have witnessed people involved with the incident or have any CCTV footage or doorbell footage have been asked to contact police.
Williams said the cause of the fire was currently unknown, but an investigation by the police and fire service was ongoing and would continue on Monday.
He said cordons remained in place and urged people not to breach them for their own safety.
At about 14:30 on Sunday, the fire service said it requested two further fire engines and a second aerial ladder platform, alongside an incident commander from Totnes.
Crews requested the attendance of a further four fire engines at about 15:20, a welfare unit from Ivybridge, as well as an environmental protection unit from Taunton and a hazardous material officer.
At 16:41, the fire service said: "Steady progress is being made monitoring and extinguishing the fire."
It said two aerial ladder platforms, hydrants, hose reel jets, safety jets and breathing apparatus were in use.
On Friday, five fire engines and an aerial ladder platform went to the same location following a "number of calls" at about 09:05 BST. The incident was closed at about 17:00.
Asked whether this was linked to what happened on Sunday, Williams said: "The reality is a lot of these buildings attract people going inside to explore, and unfortunately, we've had fires in this location and in similar locations across our service area.
"We really appeal for people to stay out of these types of buildings.
"They really present hazards people are not aware of, and of course, setting fire to them is a criminal act and will be pursued quite seriously, but also presents such a huge risk to the individual themselves, the community and responders."
There was also a fire at the same hotel in March 2024, and in October 2025, it was closed for three months by Devon and Cornwall Police, who described it as an "anti-social behaviour magnet".
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