Experts have been brought in to assess damage to a fire-ravaged building in Chatham town centre.
Forty firefighters, six pumps and two height vehicles attended the fire at 13-15 Railway Street, where a four-storey building containing commercial and residential accommodation was reported alight at 4.40am on Wednesday.
Crews fought the blaze all morning and were still on the scene damping down after 11am. Kent Fire and Rescue Service said crews had been repositioned during the morning because of the dangers posed by the damaged structure. The fire broke out in the third floor and roof space of the building.
Police closed nearby roads during the incident in which no one was hurt or trapped. The cause of the blaze is not yet known.
Two gables on the top floor were cracked during the blaze and had to be demolished once the blaze was fully out.
One passer-by said they had heard an alarm going off all day the previous day, although this had not been reported to Kent Fire and Rescue Service.