Kent hotel fire that forced hundreds to evacuate being treated as suspicious

Inquiries into the cause of the fire are under way. Photograph: Andrew Aitchison/In Pictures/Getty Images

A large fire that broke out overnight at a seaside hotel and forced hundreds of people to evacuate is being treated by police as suspicious.

Emergency services were called just after 1am on Saturday to the Grand Burstin hotel in Folkestone, where a fire is believed to have started in the basement, Kent fire and rescue service said.