A massive fire has torn through an iconic leagues club on the NSW Mid North Coast, destroying four decades of history.
Firefighters were called to Nambucca Leagues Club on Sports Street in Nambucca Heads about 6am today after receiving several calls to an alarm activating.
The leagues club, built in 1982, has been gutted by the fire.
Heartbroken locals couldn’t do anything but watch as the fire tore through the club and its memorabilia.
“All the executives were up there on the wall … photographs of people I know growing up as little kids,” former president Roby Aiken said.
“We could just see windows exploding and the fire travelling through.
“Tried to get a fire extinguisher to it but it was already too much and he just had to get out … It’s just a really hard day.”
The Nambucca Roosters have been calling the club their home since it was built.
”There’s trophies and shields and things that we’re never gonna get them back,” Nambucca Roosters president Peter Bellden said.
One worker inside the club at the time was able to escape and was being treated by paramedics for non-life-threatening injuries.
He was taken to Coffs Harbour Hospital for treatment.
About 40 firefighters arrived at the scene to find “intense fire activity”.
Their efforts to control the fire were complicated by several large gas cylinders nearby and the club’s roof and structure collapsing.
They were also facing issues with water supply and were forced to access more hydrants.
FRNSW Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell was travelling through the area when the fire broke out and rushed to help.
“Our crews initially entered the building to attack the fire internally, but retreated as the building began to collapse, prioritising the safety of firefighters while continuing operations from the outside,” he said.
“Firefighters worked tirelessly under extremely challenging conditions to protect life and property and contain the blaze”.
The fire sent black plumes of smoke over the area.
“This has been a devastating loss for the Nambucca Heads community, with the destruction of a much-loved local facility,” Fewtrell said.
The property is still unstable and unsafe for fire investigators to enter, NSW Police Chief Inspector Darren Jameson said.
Investigations continue as authorities try to identify the cause of the fire.
