FIRE and police experts are today sifting through the wreckage of Ramsgate’s Victorian library to find the cause of the blaze that destroyed it.

At the height of the blaze, thought to have been started deliberately, more than 100 firefighters and 16 appliances, were at the scene in the Guildford Lawn conservation area in the town centre.

Thousands of books, paintings and town artefacts were lost as flames raged through the 100-year-old structure on Friday, illuminating the night sky. The roof collapsed inwards onto the two-storey structure.

Fire crews managed to prevent flames from spreading to neighbouring houses and Clarendon House Grammar School whose playground and mobile classrooms back onto the library just yards away.

A string of fire vehicles pumped water from the harbour to maintain the supply to fire fighters.

Residents from numbers 1, 2 and 3 Guildford Lawn were evacuated until the early hours of Saturday while the fire was brought under control.

Neighbours watched in horror as the recently restored historic building was engulfed. One said: “This area was one of few that escaped the wartime bombing raids on Ramsgate and it is devastating to see the library meeting this type of an end.”

A fighting fund has been set up by residents to raise money to help rebuild the library. In the first few hours they raised more than £600 through public donations in exchange for a dramatic picture of the fire at its height.

Town mayor Cllr Steve Ward said: “We will do everything we can to ensure that the library is replaced. It is a terrible loss to the town and I am distraught at the treasures that have been destroyed.”

Police are treating the blaze as suspicious, and are also investigating a second suspected arson blaze in the same area on Sunday morning following a fire at Thanet Register Office in Ellington Road.

Thousands of pounds worth of damage was caused to fixtures and fittings. The alarm was raised by a cleaner arriving for work who spotted a window open and alerted police.

As the clean-up begins on the site of the town's library, Km- fm's Liz Leonard asked county councillor David Brazier what happens now...