INVESTIGATION: The fire at the Fat Lamb Hotel at Eugowra.
A TEAM of investigators including police, the specialist forensic unit and NSW Fire Brigade spent Tuesday sifting through the remains of the Fat Lamb Hotel at Eugowra to determine the cause of a fire which engulfed and destroyed the iconic hotel early on Monday morning.
Canobolas Local Area investigation manager Detective Sergeant Andrew McLean said police are appealing for anyone who may contribute information to the investigation to call Orange police.
“A number of people took photographs of the burning hotel which have been circulated so there were obviously people around at the time, and we are hoping someone will come forward,” Detective Sergeant McLean said.
“At this stage we are not saying the fire is being treated as suspicious or not until we have moved further along in our investigation.
“We are not prepared to say that at this stage, despite the rumour mill being in full swing,” he said.
Police say the fire was first noticed by a shopkeeper across the road who was opening his business just after 5.30am.
Two nearby Rural Fire Service units responded to the fire within ten minutes, however the building was already engulfed in flames.
The 85-year-old Fat Lamb Hotel is owned by Sydney-based Paul McGirr who owns a number of hotels across NSW.
The hotel was built in 1926 and first operated under the name of the Club House Hotel, becoming the Fat Lamb Hotel in 1958.
If you have any information which can assist investigators, call Orange Police on 6363 6399
