A team of 20 firefighters stopped a blaze from destroying a town's landmark after flames swept through a derelict railway station.
Flames gutted a gable-end of the old railway building in High Street, Uckfield, and destroyed a 20-metre section of the roof.
Fire crews arrived at the scene shortly after 7.40pm yesterday, and managed to stop the flames spreading into the main hall.
Nigel Bean, landlord of the Cock and Bull Pub, opposite the railway station, spotted the fire and called the brigade.
He said: "All I saw was black billowing smoke. I thought it was just a bonfire at first."
A fire crew from Crowborough joined a team from Heathfield fire station and two from Uckfield at the scene.
Divisional officer Jon Hall, of East Sussex Fire Brigade, said structural damage was limited and that investigating fire officers had not ruled out arson.
He said: "It was quite a spectacle early on."
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