Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) was called to Gervis Road at 11.26pm on 23 September and found the four-storey former Woodcroft Tower Hotel well alight.

At the height of the incident, 16 crews were using main jets and hose reel jets to tackle the fire, and two aerial ladder platforms (ALPs) were used. A high volume pump from Christchurch was sent to the scene to boost the water supply.

Fire spread to the neighbouring Britannia hotel and though this was quickly brought under control, residents had to be evacuated as a precaution, along with those staying at the nearby Hotel Celebrity.

Firefighters continued to fight the blaze the following day. An investigation will take place once it is safe to do so and a drone was to be flown over the site on Friday 25 September.