Fire crews have saved two thirds of Eastbourne Pier after fire destroyed part of the structure, leaving a metal skeleton.
The blaze broke out on Wednesday afternoon behind some wood panelling in the arcade building.
Chief fire officer Des Pritchard said the outgoing tide and low water pressure had hampered crews but their hard work had "paid off".
Fire minister Penny Mordaunt is to visit the pier "as a priority".
Ms Mordaunt said she would be visiting Eastbourne to speak to local people and thank firefighters for their efforts.
No-one was injured and the fire is not being treated as suspicious.
Mr Pritchard, of East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, said: "Pier fires are very difficult to fight because there's only one way on to the pier from the land side.
"Our crews worked tremendously well and whilst some of the pictures in the media show what might be a scene of devastation, our crews managed to save two thirds of the pier."
He said most of the hotspots had been extinguished overnight, with RNLI lifeboat crews assisting.
BBC Sussex reporter Simon Jenkins
Looking towards the pier, if you start on the outer pavilion that's absolutely fine.
You move back along it and then you come to effectively a skeleton of steel and twisted iron.
It's a blackened hulk of twisted metal.
People are shocked, people are concerned and they're coming down to check if the rest of it is still here.
The arcade has been left a shell and a number of small buildings at the Victorian structure have been badly damaged, a fire service spokesman said.
An investigation into the cause of the blaze is under way.
Kay Healy, who works at the History Bear Collection on the pier, said the attraction was very busy when the fire alarm went off.
"When we walked towards the front of the pier there was smoke coming out of the arcade," she said.
"The pier was packed...it took five minutes to get people off.
"There was no panic, no-one running, just walking."
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Aerial footage of Eastbourne Pier on fire
She said it took at least 30 minutes for the bystanders to see the flames.
"When we went to the other side of the pier, we realised how serious it was," Ms Healy said.
"The fire crew was trying to smash the roof in to get the hoses in and then all of a sudden the flames came from everywhere. It was horrendous."
Eastbourne MP Stephen Lloyd said: "The good news is that we don't have a Brighton or Hastings scenario where the whole pier is destroyed."
Mr Lloyd is meeting the pier's owners and local councillors to discuss the blaze and its aftermath.
Eastbourne Borough Council leader David Tutt said he was hopeful the pier could be repaired, and he understood the fire had been started by an electrical fault.
And BBC weather presenter Michael Fish, who was born in the town, tweeted: "Devastated. My childhood up in smoke. Eastbourne's pier must be rebuilt. It was the most attractive in the country."
Pier fires- South Parade Pier in Southsea was destroyed by a blaze in 1904 and another fire in 1974 meant the pier needed rebuilding for a second time
- The Indian Pavilion on Blackpool's North Pier was destroyed by fire in 1921
- The Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare was damaged by fires in 1930 and 2008
- The Grand Pier Pavilion at Herne Bay Pier was destroyed by a blaze in 1970
- According to the National Piers Society, Morecambe Central Pier was damaged by fire in 1987 and then its ballroom was destroyed by fire in 1991
- West Pier in Brighton burned down in 2003
- Southend Pier was partly destroyed by fire in 2005
- Fleetwood Pier in Lancashire burned down in 2008
- Hastings Pier was almost destroyed by a fire on 5 October 2010
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