Lightning could be cause of beloved old pub's destruction

A lightening strike may be behind a beloved old Queensland pub's demise after the Archer Hotel was destroyed by flames.

A blaze devoured the pub at Port Curtis near Rockhampton about 8pm on Monday night, with flames reaching up to 10 metres in the air.

Neighbours were the first to see the venue catch fire after a thunderstorm ripped through the region.

"There was just a crack a loud crack, we thought it was lightening but we don't know," pub owner told 9NEWS.

Queensland Fire Emergency Service officer Shane Slater said emergency crews worked for hours to contain the blaze, with both floors were engulfed in flames by the time they arrived.

The hotel has been closed for the past four years so thankfully there no one was inside at the time.

But it made for spectacular viewing for residents of the small central Queensland community. 

"I walked outside and had a look and  said 'hello the pub's on fire'," one witness said.

Investigators are still trying to work out how it started.