rook

Victory Hotel destroyed by fire
Marissa Calligeros | July 27, 2008 - 9:07AM

Seven people have been treated for smoke inhalation after fire tore through a packed nightclub in Brisbane's CBD overnight.

Chaotic scenes erupted on Edward and Charlotte Streets last night, as hundreds of club-goers evacuated the Victory Hotel after it caught fire just before 3am.

Little remains bar the charred hull (Hull? I didn't know buildings had 'hulls') of the popular nightclub, which was completely guttered by the fire believed to have started in the basement.

Queensland Fire and Rescue Senior Operations Coordinator Bevan Moore said fire crews were confronted by ``complete and utter chaos'', as they arrived at the scene.

``Initially our trucks couldn't even get to the premises because the crowd was so thick on the ground,'' Mr Moore said.

``There were bodies lying on the ground (as opposed to lying where...?) and footpaths...hundreds more crowded the streets who had evacuated the building.

``Thick, black smoke billowed from the premises as crew arrived.''

The frantic crowd swelled as club-goes (-goers?) from The Exchange Hotel, directly across the road, spilled onto Edward Street.

``It was absolutely the worst possible time for such an incident to occur,'' Mr Moore said.

``Can you imagine hundreds of people, intoxicated, under the influence of alcohol (isn't that the same as intoxicated?) and a building ablaze?''

The fire, believed to have started in the basement (insert comma here) quickly took hold of the dance floors above.

Thick smoke billowed from the building's vents, windows and doors, as flames licked (I didn't think 'licking' was a means of motion) their way to a storage room on the top level.

``The smoke made it impossible for our crews to get to the fire and contain it on the bottom level, and unfortunately it took hold,'' Mr Moore said.

Forty-two firemen battled the blaze for nearly two hours; it was extinguished by 4:20am, but reignited around 6am and is still smouldering.

``We thought we had it, but promotional materials stored in the upper levels have reignited.''

Fire crews are expected to remain at the scene today.

Motorists have been advised to avoid the city centre, as Elizabeth, Edward and Charlotte Streets remain closed.

The Victory Hotel is one of Brisbane's most iconic hotels (huh? Since when?).

Known for its famous beer garden, which is one of the few remaining in Brisbane's CBD, the hotel was recently voted one of Queensland's top 10 pubs.

It is owned by Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group (ALH), a subsidiary of Woolworths Ltd (And we care about this why...?).