Fire crews battled flames overnight after a blaze ripped through a wedding venue while an event was taking place.
Fire engines from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service rushed to the Thornton Hough hotel in Wirral, Merseyside after being alerted to the situation just after 9pm on Saturday.
The blaze was sparked by a boiler, but that initial fire was extinguished before emergency responders arrived at the scene, Liverpool Echo reports.
Guests attending a wedding reception had to be evacuated twice after two blazes broke out, according to a wedding DJ working at the time.
Witnesses said flames on the roof reached as high as 10ft-tall when the inferno was at its worst.
DJ Matthew Tolley told the Echo how he burst out in tears on his way home after realising just how perilous the situation had been.
Matthew Tolley said he was working when he had to evacuate guests once after the boiler caught fire and a second time when they found out it had reached the roof.
He said: "It was the second time the guests had been evacuated that night so they were annoyed with it, but when they went outside and saw the fire and smoke coming from the roof they were scared to death.
"I was totally fine when it was happening - but when I was halfway home I burst into tears like a big baby.
"It really, really could have been a bigger disaster as a lot of people could have gone back up to their bedrooms after the first evacuation."
A guest staying at the hotel said: "The flames had taken over the whole house.
"We could see them flames on the roof and they were about 10 feet high.
"It's died down this morning but you can still see smoke billowing.
"We're just waiting to hear what can happen to see if we can get in and get our keys so we can go home."
Another guest said he and his wife were woken at 1.30am by firefighters banging on their door telling them to get out as quickly as possible as the building was on fire.
He said: "We were asleep but they hammered on the door for us to get out.
"They were very professional and seemed as if they had the scene under control.
"But there's still smoke billowing out of the house - it wouldn't surprise me if they're here for a day or two."
A structural survey of the building was set for today and safety cordons are currently in place.
Emergency services including Merseyside Police, Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service and North West Ambulance Service are also currently on the scene.
Firefighters have been dealing with two main seats of fire - both of which have now been put out.
