A "SEVERE" fire at a Bournemouth hotel was accidental, investigators have discovered.

As reported in the Daily Echo, emergency services were called to the boarded-up Orchid Gardens building in Gervis Road on Saturday morning.

Four people are believed to have been squatting at the property. No one was injured.

The blaze was so fierce it burned through the floor and into the room below.

A spokesperson from the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "There was severe fire damage to the room of origin.

"The fire also burned through the floor and down into the room below.

"There was some some fire damage to the landing outside as well.

"The cause of the fire is believed to be accidental. The exact reason the fire started is still under investigation, in part due to the scale of the damage."

Around 50 firefighters and 12 engines were called to the scene at the scene at the weekend. Several ambulances and marked police cars also attended.

The fire took hold of the rear section of the property, which stands next to Hotel Celebrity.