Pub co-owner Tony Hills said the front bar caught fire about 8am and set a wall alight, spewing smoke into Grey Street.

Relatives Gerard and Jane Hills were warned when they smelled smoke while in their upstairs unit.

They immediately leapt into action, evacuating the pub's single guest and attacking the blaze with a fire hose reel.

"I put most of it out with the fire hose reel until it became too smoky to stay in there. Most of the flames I got out but there were still embers in there (for professional firefighters)," said Gerard Hills.

Firefighters arrived within five minutes and spent much of the morning suppressing embers. Ultimately the pub sustained "minimal" damage.

It could easily have gone much worse. The fire was just metres away from the serving bar and the whole room has extensive wood panelling.

It didn't go near the high-proof alcohol behind the bar proper, said Tony.

"Only the customers did," he joked.

"If it had happened at three o'clock in the morning it could have been different," said Gerard.

Tony Hills, who has owned the pub for four years, said they have their chimneys cleaned every season, blaming a design flaw in an old chimney.

He said they could be open Friday depending on an electrician's assessment.