Early morning fire tears through iconic country pub, building gutted

An iconic Queensland pub has been gutted after a massive fire broke out early this morning.

Emergency services were called to the Sundowner Saloon in Haigslea, near Ipswich, just after 8am.

Flames fully engulfed the popular pink pub and sent thick, toxic smoke over nearby commercial properties.

Ten fire crews battled the blaze, forcing the evacuation of surrounding businesses and a neighbouring petrol station as a precaution, where workers isolated fuel supplies.

Firefighters brought the inferno under control by 9.35am and fully extinguished it shortly before 11.30am.

A staff member in their 20s – understood to be a local caretaker – was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation after risking their life trying to fight the flames.

It’s not the first time the venue, run by prominent publicans, the Falvey family, has gone up in smoke. It was also destroyed by fire in 2010.

But in a rare bright spot, the venue’s famous big bottle survived the fire.

Investigators face a lengthy probe to find the cause, but the owners say their biggest relief is that no one was seriously hurt.

In a Facebook post shared on Thursday, they promised to rebuild.

“We’ve suffered a catastrophic loss this morning, but our team is safe, and that’s all that matters right now,” the post read, thanking emergency crews and assuring patrons that “the Little Pink Pub with a BIG Bundy Bottle will be back.