(View more photos below)
The Tudor House Pub was destroyed by fire early this morning.
Esquimalt Fire Rescue arrived at the corner of Admirals and Esquimalt roads two minutes after the 2:30 a.m. call came in, but flames had already engulfed much of the top floor of the 109-year-old landmark, said Fire Chief Dave Ward.
"That's how fast the fire was moving," Ward said, adding DND firefighters were on scene "within minutes" to assist Esquimalt. No one was in the pub or connecting liquor store at the time.
Standing in front of the hazy and blackened pub, Ward said the fire was hard to extinguish because of the age of the Tudor House, which lacked modern firestopping infrastructure.
"Because of the structure, it was a defensive attack, so no there was no interior attack," he said.
An apartment building on the east side of Esquimalt Road was evacuated. Returning residents will need to deal with smoke odours but no obvious damage, Ward added.
"Members of the Navy and military have been attending (The Tudor House) for functions for many years so it will be missed," he said.
It will take days before fire inspectors can examine the building to determine what started the fire, Ward said.
dpalmer@vicnews.com
(Photos courtesy of Brianne Jones)