Historic pub burns down

Fire destroyed the historic Calen Hotel, near Mackay in north Queensland yesterday.  Police say the 76-year-old pub caught alight just after 10:00am (AEST) on Friday.

No-one has been injured and the fire is not being treated as suspicious. Calen resident Leslie Grieshaber says the building is in ruins.

"Heaps of smoke bellowing out the front room and then the flames appeared and within half-an-hour the roof collapsed and things in there were going bang," he said.

"The upper levels are down the bottom and things are just smouldering away."   He says it is a huge loss for the community.

"It's where the majority of people out here spend their time," he said.