Fire destroys pub in Sydney’s inner west
A DEVASTATING fire has ripped through the General Gordon Hotel in Sydenham. Firefighters were confronted with large volumes of smoke and fire ravaging the second floor.
NSW
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A FIRE has destroyed the historic General Gordon Hotel in Sydney’s inner west following a workplace accident during a routine renovation.
Emergency services responded to the pub on Burrows Ave and Swain St, Sydenham just before 1pm on Monday following reports of heavy smoke and flames being seen spreading rapidly throughout the building.
One local resident said he was told by builders working on Swain St that the fire was the result of an unfortunate freak accident involving power tools.
“One of those blokes said an angle grinder had hit a phone and it sparked and the gas went up,” David M said.
“I came to get my car and just saw flames filling the whole window up — it was very alight,” he said.
“10 minutes later things were blowing up inside. It was definitely bad”.
The General Gordon’s bistro was currently under renovations after the Lantern Hotels Group sold the pub to a Sydney publican backed by White & Partners for $18.1 million last year.
The building was constructed in the 1930s and has been operating as a licensed pub for more than 80 years.
Firefighters arrived to find flames destroying the second floor with a dangerous amount of thick smoke spewing from the building.
Six builders working inside the hotel at the time were extracted as well as eight or nine residents from a neighbouring boarding house which was minimally affected.
Two aerials and more than 70 firefighters were needed to contain the blaze which was brought under control in a matter of hours, but not before both the roof, the rear and a major wall collapsed.
Firefighters have so far been unable to enter the premises as there are about 20 LPG cylinders which may still present a serious threat.
“We’ve got to now find those cylinders and see if they’ve purged and make them safe,” Fire and Rescue NSW Inner West Duty Commander Gary Meagher said.
Commander Meagher said the historic pub “had a lot of timber inside” which exacerbated how quickly the fire had spread.
“There was a lot of timber inside, probably timber floors and they go up pretty quick,” he said.
“Apparently they did have a bit of styrofoam in there and that also insulated the fire. She’s just about gone now — they won’t be drinking there for a while.”
Tempe local Carla, 32, had parked her car directly out the front of the General Gordon and arrived back at the car to see the hotel in flames with emergency services cordoning off the area.
“When I got back I could just see flames and people running around everywhere,” she said.
My car is outside the front of the pub and there were a few explosions which covered it in bricks — it’ll definitely be dented in some form now.”
The Art Deco pub takes its name from Sir Charles George Gordon, an Australian military general who won awards and medals for his involvement in overseas campaigns in the 1800s.
The building itself was designed by Australian architect Sidney Warren, the man behind Paddington’s Light Brigade, the Lansdowne in Broadway and The Old Clare at Central Park.
Sydenham resident Aaron Elson, 54, who joked that the General Gordon was like his home, said it was “a shock.”
“I’m shattered, we come up here for a beer every day and for a building with so much history to be completely destroyed is just really sad. I’m shattered.”
Motorists are asked to avoid the area with Gleeson Avenue closed in both directions between Unwins Bridge Rd and Railway Pde.
Railway Road is also closed from the Princes Highway with Fire and Rescue NSW blocking off both ends of Swain Street.
Buses on routes 418, 425 and M30 are still being diverted while trains on the T4 and T3 lines are stopping at Sydenham Station once again after earlier avoiding the stop due to the station’s proximity to the pub.