Blaze destroys 125-year-old Townsville pub - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The blaze blanketed the Townsville CBD in smoke for hours. (Supplied: Britt Theris)

Townsville's heritage-listed Great Northern Hotel has partially collapsed after being gutted by fire on Friday morning.

The structure, built in 1900, had been shuttered since a fire in 2015.

Firefighters spent hours at the scene during Friday's blaze and prevented the flames from reaching a popular nearby cafe.

A heritage-listed hotel has been destroyed in a fire that shut down the Townsville central business district on Friday morning.

A Public Safety Preservation Act (PSPA) was declared at 8:40am and Queensland Police warned residents to avoid the streets surrounding the Great Northern Hotel due to heavy smoke "blanketing the city".

The smoke and heat damaged a nearby cafe. (Supplied: Britt Theris)

Queensland Fire Department (QFD) crews were called to the fire at 6:14am and spent four hours working to bring the blaze under control.

The two-storey brick hotel was built in 1900 and added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992.

Fire and Rescue Townsville Inspector Damien Phillips said the building was "definitely not salvageable" due to large cracks in concrete and bricks.

The roof and both floors of the building have collapsed. An adjacent store was also engulfed in flames.

Fire and Rescue Townsville Inspector Damien Phillips. (ABC News: Emily Anderson)

Firefighting crews will remain on the scene for the rest of the day.

"There's definitely still potential to collapse due to the cracking," Mr Phillips said.

"Lots of old wood that definitely accelerates the fire as well."

Mr Phillips said rotten floors inside the building and strong winds made firefighting efforts challenging.

"With the wind gusting, that also caused lots of oxygen to enter the building, which accelerated the fire and it moved a lot quicker," he said.

Crews initially entered the building to assess the damage but were recalled after it was deemed too dangerous.

The Great Northern Hotel in Townsville was destroyed by fire on Friday. (Suppled: Queensland Fire Department)

A neighbouring cafe suffered minor damage but was saved by firefighters.

One firefighter was taken to hospital with a minor injury.

Additional firefighting crews were called in from Ingham and the Burdekin to assist with bringing the blaze under control.

Fire investigators are on the scene to determine the cause of the fire.

The PSPA is expected to remain in place for the rest of the day as crews remain on scene.

The heritage-listed Great Northern Hotel was destroyed by fire on Friday. (Supplied: Townsville Citylibraries)

Townsville Mayor Nick Dametto said many people would remember the pub served beer from a wooden keg.

"It was a real treat for everybody there and it was a real melting pot too," he said.

"You'd have lawyers, to journalists, to tradesmen all in that front bar."

He said the pub, which is next to a train station, was also a place where soldiers said their farewells before going to war.

"That place would've been a place where those said goodbyes were said," Cr Dametto said.

Armistice Day at the Great Northern Hotel in 1918. (Supplied: Townsville Citylibraries)

The hotel had been closed since a fire in 2015.

The family who owns the pub told the ABC it was devastated by the fire.

A spokesperson for A Gabrielli Constructions said the venue was truly loved by the Townsville community.