A popular pub remains closed today after a burning ember from an open fire set the building alight.

More than 25 firefighters battled to douse flames on the first floor of the Victory Inn in Duke Street, Brighton, in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Landlord Stuart Lennox said: "I'm devastated.

"We have open fires in the pub but they have fireguards on from the moment they are lit. I've been told this could have been caused by the tiniest ember that got through the guard.

"Apparently it could have been burning really slowly for hours or days before the fire took hold."

The upstairs part of the pub, which can accommodate 36 people, was completely destroyed in the fire and a burst water pipe caused a chunk of the ground floor ceiling to collapse.

Mr Lennox said he did not yet know how much the damage would cost to put right.

He hopes to re-open the downstairs part of the pub on Wednesday night or Thursday lunchtime but said it could take weeks before the first floor is repaired.

He said: "With St Patrick's Day coming up this is not a good time for us to be out of action."

Richard Chamberlain, the watch manager at Brighton fire station, said: "This was a severe fire.

"When we arrived there were flames pouring out of the windows.

"We searched the building in case people were trapped and then used an aerial platform and officers wearing breathing apparatus to put out the fire.

"We had to cut away floorboards and a fireplace so it took about 30 minutes to get the fire out."

Nobody was in the pub at the time of the fire and nobody was injured.

In a separate incident, six people were evacuated from their homes after contractors using a blow torch to remove paintwork are believed to have set two flats on fire.

Fire crews were called to flats in Cromwell Road, Hove, at about 10.40am yesterday where a bay window was on fire.

The flames spread through the wall cavity to the flat above and the fire caused severe smoke logging to the entire building.

Grant Eager, Blue Watch manager at Brighton fire station. said: "There was a lot of damage. All the window frame and a lot of the floor in the first floor flat will need to be replaced."

He said the fire was probably caused by builders using a blow torch to remove old paint.

The six people were evacuated from an adjacent flat but nobody was injured in the fire.