According to unconfirmed reports, there is "clear evidence" that the recent fire that destroyed about one third of the 144-year-old, Grade II-listed, 300-metre long Eastbourne Pier in the UK may have been started deliberately.
However, an electrical fault has not been entirely ruled out as the cause of the fire.
The fire, which completely destroyed the main roof of the pier, is believed to have broken out behind wood panelling in the arcade building, sending flames and huge plumes of smoke into the air.
This is the third major pier fire in the UK to have taken place in the past dozen or so years. The West Pier in Brighton was burned down in 2003, the Grand Pier in Weston-Super-Mare was damaged by fire in 2008, and the Hastings Pier was almost destroyed by a fire in 2010.
No-one was injured in the Eastbourne Pier blaze.
