Transport chaos as Sydenham's General Gordon Hotel goes up in flames
A fierce blaze is tearing through a pub in Sydney's inner west, causing an adjoining boarding house to be evacuated.
Fire crews arrived at the General Gordon Hotel in Sydenham just after 1.15pm on Monday and found the fire on the second storey, a Fire and Rescue NSW spokesman said.
More than 60 firefighters are on the scene and the fire remains active, FRNSW said. The building has a number of gas cylinders on the premises.
Police are also on the scene, and are warning motorists and pedestrians to avoid the area.
The blaze has already destroyed part of the roof and the awning, and the flames are also creating a large amount of smoke.
The adjoining boarding house has been evacuated, and at this stage there are no reports of injuries, a FRNSW spokeswoman said.
With the pub located across the road from Sydenham train station, the fire is also causing transport chaos.
The station - which services the T2 Inner West & Leppington Line, the T3 Bankstown Line, the T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line, the T8 Airport & South Line and the South Coast Line services - has been closed.
Buses are also impacted, with diversions in place for the 418 and 425 services, while M30 buses are terminating at Enmore Park and starting at Victoria Road, instead of outside the station.
The cause of the fire is not known at this time.
The blaze comes just one day after the hotel, currently partially closed as it undergoes a renovation of its kitchen and bistro area, shared a photo of "the soon-to-be outdoor dining area".
The photo caption reads: "It's all looking like a big mess but trust us, it's all coming together!"
The hotel's "about" section on its Facebook page describes it as "The Pride of Sydenham" and "an integral part of the local community for over 80 years".
The renovation would bring new dining and bar areas as well as a "sophisticated" beer garden.
"The new General Gordon will keep true to its traditional roots and external facade, whilst becoming the newest player in the unique and quirky food and beverage scene of Sydney's inner west."
It is the second day of disruption for Sydney's train passengers.
On Sunday, thousands of passengers were delayed or stranded, after the late completion of a signalling switch-over affected services on the T1 North Shore and Western line, the T2 Inner West line, the Newcastle and Central Coast Line, and the Blue Mountains Line.
More to come