Brighton Grand hotel fire: Burning and smoke reported

The alarm was raised just before 2pm this afternoon after smoke and a smell of burning was reported in The Grand's sixth floor.

Firefighters from across Brighton made their way - at speed, according to one bystander - to the seafront hotel overlooking the burnt-out West Pier.

Evacuated guests standing outside the Brighton Centre (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

Hotel guests and diners inside its restaurant gathered outside the Brighton Centre next door to the hotel where staff dished out water bottles, chairs and umbrellas in the 27-degree heat on Brighton seafront.

Meanwhile, firefighters entered the building wearing oxygen tanks and carrying hoses up its stairs. A ladder truck was parked outside the building.

Paramedics were on standby for any casualties while police officers managed crowds gathering outside the landmark seafront building.

Fire appliances outside the building (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

A spokeswoman for East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said: "We were called at 1.55pm to a commercial property in King's Road, Brighton due to reports of a strong smell of burning and smoke on the sixth floor.

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"Six appliances and one aerial ladder platform attended and crews promptly dealt with the incident.

"All persons were accounted for and crews have left the scene."

Damage to the Royal Albion hotel structure seen from above (Image: Sussex News and Pictures)

The incident comes just over a year after the catastrophic Royal Albion fire in July 2023.

The hotel - owned by national hospitality chain Britannia - went up in flames on a windy summer evening and firefighters worked through several nights to bring it under control.

Its west wing was completely destroyed by the fire and demolition contractors were called in to flatten the skeleton structure.

A recent report found the blaze was caused by a discarded cigarette on its fourth floor.

Emergency services at the scene after the explosion (Image: Simon Dack)

The Grand has also been the subject of catastrophic incidents in the past.

In 1984, a bomb planted by the IRA detonated in a bid to kill several British politicians staying at the hotel - including Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who escaped the building uninjured.

Five people were killed and a large area of the hotel's west section was destroyed by the explosion.