A fire on Monday devoured a historic seaside pier that stretched nearly a quarter of a mile into the sea and was an iconic destination for English holidaymakers for more than a century. The pier, the Grand at Weston-super-Mare in western England -- Britain's "pier of the year" in 2001 -- was already on its second life, having been destroyed by fire in 1930. It reopened in 1933. The pier, one of the town's chief tourist attractions, was a celebrated part of English seaside tradition of promenades, amusement rides and fish and chips. "It is a tragedy," said Nigel Heath a spokesman for the pier company. "It epitomized the English seaside resort." No one was injured in the fire, the authorities said. According to the British media, suspicion for the cause of the blaze centered on a deep fat-fryer in kitchens at the sea end of the pier, although the police said their investigations were ongoing. A local fire officer, Kevin Pearson told the Daily Mail newspaper, "We believe the fire to have started in a kitchen area and it could have been a chip pan."
The pier, the Grand at Weston-super-Mare in western England -- Britain's "pier of the year" in 2001 -- was already on its second life, having been destroyed by fire in 1930. It reopened in 1933.
The pier, one of the town's chief tourist attractions, was a celebrated part of English seaside tradition of promenades, amusement rides and fish and chips.
"It is a tragedy," said Nigel Heath a spokesman for the pier company. "It epitomized the English seaside resort."
No one was injured in the fire, the authorities said. According to the British media, suspicion for the cause of the blaze centered on a deep fat-fryer in kitchens at the sea end of the pier, although the police said their investigations were ongoing. A local fire officer, Kevin Pearson told the Daily Mail newspaper, "We believe the fire to have started in a kitchen area and it could have been a chip pan."
