Canberra Services Club Gutted by Fire — History Repeats Itself
It’s happened again — the Canberra Services Club has gone up in flames, and for those who remember 2011, the sense of déjà vu is hard to shake. On Friday morning, vice-president David Spouse watched in disbelief as fire tore through the club’s Barton premises. Around 11:15am, what’s believed to have been a deep-fryer malfunction sparked a blaze in the kitchen. Within moments, the flames were out of control. A couple of tradesmen, who’d only come in for a steak, grabbed an extinguisher to help, but the fire was already racing through the building.
By 11:30am, emergency services were on site in Blackall Street, just outside the Parliamentary Triangle. Only five people were inside at the time, including two patrons, and everyone managed to get out safely. Witnesses described windows being blown out, a loud bang, and waist-high flames moving frighteningly fast. Being a 1960s building, no one could be certain what materials in the roof were fueling the fire — but the smoke and smell lingered long after.
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For many Canberrans, it’s an all-too-familiar scene. Back in April 2011, the original Canberra Services Club in Manuka — a heritage weatherboard from the 1940s that had served wartime servicemen and women — burned to the ground after a log rolled from a fireplace. That fire erased decades of history, and the club’s future was thrown into uncertainty. The Barton site, a former ACT Rugby Union Club, was always meant to be temporary until a return to the Manuka “spiritual home” could be made.
Friday’s fire has put those plans in jeopardy again. Superintendent Jim Walsh confirmed four buildings were evacuated and two people were taken to hospital as a precaution for possible smoke inhalation. Damage to the club is extensive, and sections of Blackall Street remain closed while hazmat crews monitor air quality.
Club president Jon Hunt-Sherman, speaking from the South Coast, said he was “absolutely devastated” but hopeful. The club had been gaining momentum, expanding its mission to include all community service groups in the ACT, not just defence and military, with over 50 affiliated organisations in the past year. There had even been recent progress at the Manuka site, with planning authorities conditionally approving changes that could pave the way for a boutique hotel.
But now, with the Barton building’s roof collapsed and much of it likely unsalvageable, the path forward is uncertain. One hope remains — the original timber Canberra Services Club signage, which survived the 2011 fire, may have made it through this one too. If it has, Mr Hunt-Sherman believes it would be a sign the club can once again rise from the ashes. For now, the doors are shut, the damage is being assessed, and the community is left wondering — can the Canberra Services Club survive a second time?
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