A huge fire at a derelict hotel in Newquay has finally been extinguished.

Eighty firefighters fought the fire at the former Hotel California building in Pentire Crescent, which started on Sunday shortly before 4pm.

Ten fire appliances along with breathing apparatus support, two water carriers, command support and two aerial ladder platforms were at the scene at the height of the blaze.

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service scaled back the equipment and personnel at the incident on Monday but were in attendance throughout the day until 2.15pm.

The building was handed over to Devon and Cornwall Police and the property’s owners, the Acorn Property Group.

A building inspector will check to see if the derelict hotel is safe to enter before a fire investigation team can go in to determine the cause of the blaze. Local crews will be revisiting regularly to monitor for any further hotspots.

The fire was fought from the exterior of the building following the roof collapsing and missing floorboards.

Penmere Drive and a section of Pentire Crescent were closed whilst firefighters were at the scene.

A crowd gathered to watch fire crews battle the blaze, but police urged people to stay away and for residents to close their windows due to the amount of smoke billowing from the building.

A spokesperson for Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said: “We would like to thank local residents for their patience and cooperation whilst we worked at this location.”

The Hotel California, which overlooks the Gannel Estuary, has 68 bedrooms and a bowling alley.

The hotel closed three years ago and work is due to get underway to demolish the building as there is planning permission in place to construct 20 apartments as well as four houses at the site.