THE fire that ripped through the third floor of a Bournemouth town centre building spread from an initial plume of smoke to an incident requiring a major response.
More than 60 firefighters worked late into Saturday night to tackle the blaze in Holdenhurst Road.
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to reports of a flat fire near the junction with Cotlands Road.
But the fire began to grow and begin on its path of destruction.
Read more: Holdenhurst Road reopens after flat blaze is tackled by 60 firefighters
A cordon was set up in Holdenhurst Road, which had become filled with fire engines and specialist appliances that were attempting to control the blaze.
Crews on the aerial ladder platform worked tirelessly pouring water onto the building from height in an effort to prevent it spreading across to neighbouring addresses.
Hours into the firefighting operation and flames could still be seen roaring out of the building and the roof had started to collapse.
While night fell and beach-goers were on their way home after the hottest day, crews continued to battle on.
On Sunday morning the devastation became clear to see.
Read more: Large flat fire was 'challenging' for crews due to building's roof
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