Cause of historic Dalby pub fire ‘undetermined’

INVESTIGATORS are yet to determine what sparked a fire which razed Mary’s Commercial Hotel in Dalby.

The Cunningham St icon, which was set to go to auction next Friday, was destroyed in the fierce fire believed to have started on the upper level on the southern side about 1.40am on Wednesday.

It is believed one of the coowners was staying at the pub and called 000 when the fire took hold.

She was not injured. Dalby Criminal Investigation Branch Detective Senior Constable Digby Ford said the cause of the fire was being ruled as undetermined.

“We still have forensic investigations ongoing at this early stage,” he said.

“We’re still investigating.

“We’re still talking to staff and people involved at this point.”

Identifying the cause is expected to take several days or weeks due to the extent of the damage at the historic pub.

The modern version of Mary’s was established in 1909 after it was built on the same site of the former Commercial Hotel built in 1885 which was demolished.

Mary’s came to be known as a social centre for Dalby and was considered one of the oldest pubs on the Western Downs.

Snr-Const Ford said the pub was insured and, until the fire, was open to the public.

He appealed for anyone in the area at the time of the fire, between midnight and 2am, to contact police.

Anyone with information should report it to Policelink on 131 444.