AN electrical fault may have sparked the blaze that gutted the Conargo Hotel on Tuesday night.
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The much-loved pub was destroyed by the fire, and owner Anthony Surace is unable to access the building as sections are still smouldering.
Part of the roof has caved in and the walls have warped, with an underground cellar also posing a risk to anyone on the site.
Police are continuing to investigate the cause of the fire, but it does not appear to be suspicious.
Mr Surace is waiting for insurance assessors to visit.
“From the outside looking in, there’s nothing left,” he said.
“All the photos and everything have been burnt.
“I’ll have a look under the tin roof which collapsed on the bar, but I don’t know if there’s anything under there either.”
Mr Surace said he was considering temporary measures to keep the drinks flowing.
“I’m looking to put a tent up or build a shed just to keep the pub ticking over, to keep it alive,” he said.
“But it’s a bit hard without air-conditioning at this time of year.
“I have also been talking to the council about saving the front facade of the building.”
Mr Surace has been inundated with support following the fire.
A convoy of 400 people will take part in a charity run leaving Sydney and Melbourne to raise money to rebuild the hotel. The group will arrive in Conargo on November 29 and will hold a car show with live music.
Funds will also be donated to the NSW Rural Fire Service volunteers who helped fight the fire.
“If I go ahead and rebuild it, I’ll rebuild it a bit bigger and make it a bit different,” Mr Surace said.
“But I want to keep it as country as I can.
“I definitely want to rebuild, we’re just waiting for the insurance assessors, police and the coroner to all have a look.”
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The stickers have been seen on the back of cars as far away as England, Cr Brennan said.
“You see them everywhere, and not just in Australia,” he said.
“People have told me they’ve seen a little Fiat in Rome that had a Conargo Pub sticker on it.
“A lot of people drop into the pub, get a sticker and have a look around.
“It all helps draw people into the community.”
Cr Brennan said Conargo, which is about 30 kilometres from Deniliquin and has a population of about 1500, had four pubs when the hotel was built.
Memorabilia had been building up inside the venue for years, most of which was related to agriculture and the area’s sheep industry.
“It was a snapshot of the history of Conargo and the region,” Cr Brennan said.
“People donated items to go onto the walls.
“If someone had a champion ram, they might have liked to have had a photo of it on the wall.
“Some of that will never be replaced.”
Cr Brennan said he would like to see the pub rebuilt.
“Unfortunately you’ll never get the same type of pub back given the memorabilia in it,” he said.
“It was very sad news.
“Fortunately no one was injured and there wasn’t any damage to neighbouring properties.”