00:01The Townsville community woke this morning to news the iconic Great Northern Hotel in Townsville City was on fire.
00:09Emergency crews arrived shortly after six o'clock this morning where they found the pub already engulfed in flames.
00:15It took them four hours to control the blaze and crews initially went inside to inspect the damage,
00:22but it was deemed too dangerous and both stories have now collapsed as well as the roof.
00:27The fire also spread to a neighbouring store which was engulfed in flames.
00:31However, the shop next to that store, a popular cafe, was saved with only minor damage.
00:37Members of the Townsville community today are saying it's a very sad day as it was a heritage listed building
00:43with a strong history as a local watering hole.
00:46However, it's been closed since a fire in 2015.
00:49It's a very windy day here in Townsville which firefighters said has not made the job easy
00:54and that also spread heavy black smoke around the city causing police to shut off much of the area.
01:00One firefighter was taken to hospital after suffering a minor injury outside the building.
01:05We spoke earlier to Fire Inspector Damien Phillips who spoke about the extent of the damage.
01:10There were two floors and a basement so the fire fully engulfed the entire building.
01:16We have structural collapse being the first floor and the ground floor as well.
01:21Investigations are continuing into the cause of the fire.
01:24If war sensor Frapper brings back, the fire Good result to the fire.
01:25However, we haven't done once.
01:25The fire has been knitted in the fire.
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