Firefighters are tackling a devastating blaze at a block of flats in an historic former lace mill, which has left people homeless.
The fire broke out at Springfield Mill in Bridge Street, Sandiacre, in Nottingham, on Tuesday afternoon and crews have worked into the night to extinguish flames which continue to burn in the roof.
Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service said "rapid and effective firefighting" had saved three quarters of the mill - which is now apartments - and "significant numbers of appliances" remained overnight.
Springfield Mill, with its distinctive chimney, is a well known local landmark and the fire service asked people to observe the Government's coronavirus lockdown rules and stay away from the area, tweeting: "Coming to view this fire is not an essential journey."
They also advised people to remain indoors and to keep windows and doors closed due to smoke.
Local resident Tom Walters, 29, said: "Large plumes of smoke have been billowing in the air with debris falling below.
"It's awful to see, especially knowing that people are now without a home at the current time."
The fire service was called at 4.23pm and eight engines, two aerial ladder platforms, two water carriers and a control room unit went to the scene but residents said flames were still visible at about 7pm.
Marie Talbot, 42, said:"The fire raged through the top floor really quickly, but it soon escalated.
"The flames were pouring out the top, but I could see the firemen were already trying to tackle it."
Mr Walters said it was a shame to see the "gorgeous old building" in this state and Ms Talbot described Springfield Mill as "iconic".
Daniel Fenwick, 31, added: "The building is a beautiful piece of Nottingham heritage. It's sad to see this happening to such a prominent building with so much history.
"I just hope everybody got out safely and have somewhere safe to go."
The Historic England website says the lace factory and attached chimney were built in 1888 for Terah Hooley, a wealthy local industrialist, and had capacity for 160 machines.
At that time, Nottingham was the international centre of machine-made lace.
Springfield Mill is now a gated development with 105 high specification apartments.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
Derbyshire Fire and Rescue tweeted at around 1am: "Sandiacre incident Bridge Street. We still have significant numbers of appliances here and therefore cordons remain in place.
"Diversions are signposted locally. These will remain well into morning. We ask residents to let us continue our work and be mindful of social distancing."
