Hundreds of people watched in horror as a 104-year-old pier took just 90 minutes to become a "mangled mess" after it was gutted by fire.
The Grand Pier in Weston-Super-Mare - recently refurbished for an estimated £1 million - was engulfed in flames.
Fire crews have not confirmed rumours that the blaze was caused by deep-fat fryers in kitchens of the Somerset resort whose famous pier and donkeys lure droves of tourists from Birmingham and the south west every year.
Nicky Mager, 37, whose family own a chain of refreshments and donkey rides on the seafront said the resort was "doomed" after the tragedy.
She said: "I'm absolutely gutted. This is going to affect us massively. I just felt shivers down my spine. There's nothing left now - Weston's doomed. We had a family here last week and the weather wasn't good. They said, 'What else can we do here - we've been to the pier twice.' Well, now that's gone.
"What is Weston? Only the pier and the donkeys."
Singer Ray Merrell, 75, was metal detecting on the beach this morning when he saw the plume of smoke coming to meet him.
He said: "As I walked my way up towards the town, I could see the billowing smoke worsening. Then all of a sudden the flames surged. It was an explosion of flame, no bang.
"It started to get hold of the building and within minutes it had become skeletal."
The building was bought less than a year ago by Greek-Cypriot brother and sister Kerri and Michelle Michael who have set about revamping the attraction. They installed a two-tier go-cart track, a climbing wall and a facility where children can make their own bears and fudge.
Mr Merrell added: "The new people have got alot of acts booked. It is a catastrophe for Weston. They'll have to do something now, but it takes ages for things to get done. It will be galloping lethargy no doubt."
Bar worker Katie Green, 21, said: "Weston was dying already. It's dead now."
House-husband John Burrows, 47, said: "The Pier is the only thing we had to be proud of here and now we've lost it. It is so sad. It is a tragedy for Weston.
"We've all got memories of playing the penny machines. The school holidays have just started - what will be kids do now?"
Machine operator Andy Loud, 44, said: "It's just a mangled mess. It is a complete shame, because it was the only thing the town had left. Thank God it wasn't yesterday when there was 2,000 people in it, in the heat."
Avon Fire Rescue Service said the building on the pier took an hour and a half to be "completely destroyed", although the platform itself was still standing.