Just one day after the new owners of Sydenham’s General Gordon Hotel announced they were building an outdoor dining area, the 80-year-old pub has been engulfed in flames.

The fire brigade were first called to the blaze just after 1.15pm today with 11 crews battling the fire and using a ladder platform crew to fight the fire from above. The fire, which can be seen burning on the second floor of the pub, caused the roof to partially collapse.

General Gordon hotel in #sydenham just went up in smoke pic.twitter.com/corB9KJjPP

— Susie Thompson (@susiemaes) July 30, 2018

While it’s too soon to tell if suspicious circumstances are at play, fire crews are conducting a search of the building and pedestrians and motorists have been advised to avoid the area. Gleeson Ave. and Burrows Ave. where the pub is located, are currently closed.

Similarly, trains are not stopping at Sydenham and customers wishing to transfer to the T3 Bankstown Line have been told to change at Central.

Wow! Just collapsed pic.twitter.com/agcUhQY9zN

— Angel Ioannou (@Angelioannou) July 30, 2018

The General Gordon Hotel, previously owned by Lantern Hotels Group, was purchased in February 2017 for $18.1 million. The pub was purchased by an undisclosed but “existing and long-term hotelier”.

The article was originally published on Brag Magazine