A fire investigation team has launched an operation to find out how a pub blaze started.
Officers have also issued a warning over wood storage after it was revealed the blaze at The Mill, Willingdon Drove, Eastbourne, started in a pile of timber on Tuesday.
Divisional Office Adrian Brown, of East Sussex Fire and Rescue, said: "While the exact cause of this fire is not known, we believe the fire started in a timber storage shed next to the main building.
"I would remind all occupiers that combustible material should not be stored next to buildings."
The pub was gutted when fire ripped through the middle of the building.
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