A fire has destroyed the Cradle Forest Inn at Moina in Tasmania's north-west, with one witness on the scene describing an explosion that sent fragments flying up to 700 metres away.
Emergency services were called to the lodge, at the intersection of Cradle Mountain Road and Cethana Road, about 45 kilometres from Devonport, shortly before 2am.
Crews from Devonport, Sheffield, Wilmot, Forth Valley and Claude Road were called and the building was fully alight when they arrived.
The blaze was not extinguished until just before 5am.
The Tasmania Fire Service said the reception area and tavern, which houses a bistro and bar, had been destroyed, but the accommodation chalets were not damaged.
They estimate the fire has caused about $1 million in damage.
Nearby accommodation owner, Anita Kropacsy, was interstate at the time but had a call from her colleague on the scene early this morning and said they thought there was an explosion.
"It's awful, it's horrible that it's happened and I just feel for [the owner] Caroline at the Cradle Forest Inn and the staff there.
"It's devastating, she's worked so hard in that business for so many years, I'm sure it's devastating for her.
"It's tough, having gone through COVID as well and now this it's really challenging for her."
Video posted on Facebook by Michelle Hutt showed the smoking ruin of the inn, with fire crews on the scene.
"Son of a gun, she's gone," one man says in the video. "That's just a pile of rubble."
Cause deemed accidental
Shane Thorpe, caretaker at the nearby Cradle Gateway Chalets, told the ABC he was asleep nearby when he woke to a firefighter "bashing on my window".
"I raced out, got my clothes on and went with [the firefighter], we went to the cabins and evacuated everybody.
"I didn't have time to think, we were just trying to make everyone safe… there were big gas bottles at the back, a lot of flammable stuff."
The Tasmania Fire Service said no-one was injured.
In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, TFS said fire investigators had determined the overnight fire at the Cradle Forest Inn, Moina was accidental, most likely caused by a faulty electrical appliance.
Fire investigator Anthony Goss said a "five-metre area of origin" had been located.
"Several potential ignition sources were identified within that area, with the most probable cause being a failure within an electrical appliance," he said.
TFS have now completed their duties at the scene.
