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A woman has died in a fire at the historic Bontddu Hall in Gwynedd.
Fire crews were called to a blaze at the property on the A496 at Bontddu near Dolgellau at around 9.10am today.
Firefighters managed to rescue the woman but she died at the scene.
A North Wales Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said: "A woman has died following a fire in a property in Bontddu.
"North Wales Fire and Rescue Service was called to a report of the fire at a property on the A496 in Bontddu at 9.09am this morning (Friday 5th June).
"Fire appliances from Dolgellau, Harlech, Barmouth, Bala and Blaenau Ffestiniog, an aerial ladder platform, high volume pump and the incident command unit were mobilised to the incident.
"A woman was rescued by firefighters but sadly died at the scene. The cause of the fire will be the subject of a joint investigation by North Wales Fire and Rescue Service and North Wales Police."
(Image: Keith Williams)
Witnesses reported huge plumes of smoke coming from the historic mansion with police and the air ambulance attending the scene.
Bontddu Hall was built in 1873 in the Snowdonia National Park.
Decades ago, it attracted the wealthy and famous from across the world - with famous faces including Richard Burton who stayed there during filming of the The Last Days of Dolwyn.
It was also once the country residence of Birmingham's Lord Mayor and a regular haunt of former Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain.
However, in 2004 an application was made to turn the 23-bedroom hotel into a private residence.
A fire broke out yesterday at  Hall near  in , Wales. The historic mansion is a former hotel with high-profile guests. A rescued woman died at the scene.
Bontddu Hall, pictured in 2007.
 were called to the building, located off the  overlooking the  Estuary in , at 09:09am local time. Resources sent included  from Dolgellau, , , , and  according to a fire service statement, as well as an , high volume pump, and the service's . 

Police, the ambulance service, and an  also attended. Photos and video from the blaze showed thick smoke with flames visible at windows. The fire service indicated an investigation working alongside  was underway. Bontddu Hall recently underwent building work and scaffolding was still erected at the time of the fire.
File photo of Bontddu with the Mawddach Estuary in the background.
Bontddu Hall dates to 1873, originally a 20-room mansion, and was a country retreat for the Mayor of Birmingham called Bryn Tirion before becoming a hotel. Guests include regular visitor ex-UK Prime Minister  and actor  who stayed at Bontddu Hall while filming his 1949 movie debut ''''.

The hotel closed around fifteen years ago, with local press reporting in 2004 then-new owner Tong Yung-soo, who had purchased Bontddu Hall in 2001, and his wife applied to make it a residence once more. The move was met with what WalesOnline called "fury" from local tourism chiefs. The then-manager of Barmouth Publicity and Director of Mid Wales Tourism Partnership, David Clay, called it "a retrograde step" and said "an area like this cannot afford to lose such a quality hotel."

The Tongs indicated issues staffing the hotel, something Clay recognised, and Mr Tong had said they intended to "restore the hall to its former glory." Following the hotel's closure it has remained a private home.