The historic Ora Banda pub in WA's Goldfields has been gutted by fire.

Key points: The Ora Banda pub has been at the heart of the tiny Goldfields community since 1911

The Ora Banda pub has been at the heart of the tiny Goldfields community since 1911 The current owners say the damage is so bad it is not known if it can be rebuilt

The current owners say the damage is so bad it is not known if it can be rebuilt Fire authorities are treating the blaze as suspicious and put the damage bill at $1 million

Fire crews were called to the scene early on Saturday morning, but the building was already engulfed in flames.

Authorities estimate the damage bill to be about $1 million. The fire is being treated as suspicious.

The Ora Banda Inn has been at the heart of the small community since it was built in 1911.

It was thrown into the national spotlight in 2000 after the sniper-style murder of Gypsy Joker bikie Billy Grierson.

The crime scene the morning after bikie Billy Grierson was killed at Ora Banda. ( ABC News )

Mr Grierson was sitting by a campfire a few hundred metres away from the pub in October when he was shot by a high-powered rifle from some distance away.

While the shooter has never been formally identified, the finger was firmly pointed at the former head of the CIB, and then-owner of the pub, Don Hancock.

Former WA CIB chief Don Hancock, photographed at Ora Banda when he owned the pub. ( ABC TV News )

The pub was blown up in a revenge attack soon after the shooting, but was later rebuilt and reopened.

Mr Hancock and his friend Lawrence "Lou" Lewis later died in a car-bomb attack outside Mr Hancock's Perth home in September 2001, in what was also widely regarded as a revenge attack.

'It's never looked this bad'

Current pub owner Michael Lucas said the building was well alight when he arrived, and was so badly damaged he did not know if it could be rebuilt.

"It looks like all we've got left is four walls," he said.

"We'd love to see it again … the question will be whether the walls are structurally sound."

The Ora Banda hotel was bombed soon after Mr Grierson was shot dead. ( ABC News )

Mr Lucas said the loss of equipment would be covered by insurance, but the loss of service honour rolls, historic paintings and photographs and other memorabilia was devastating.

"We had paintings, no masters, but they were irreplaceable in terms of what the town looked like in its heyday, so there's all this sort of thing that's gone," he said.

"I just can't believe when you look at the devastation there at the moment.

The pub's owners say it's too early to know if it can be rebuilt. ( ABC News )

"You know when they tried to blow it up and all the things that have happened to it over the years, it's never looked this bad."

Mr Lucas said the timing of the fire was particularly devastating as the road out to Ora Banda was finally sealed last year, a mobile phone tower had been installed and mining activity in the area was picking up.

He said he and his family had received many calls, texts and other messages of support.

The Ora Banda Hotel was best known for its notorious history. ( ABC Goldfields: Sam Tomlin )

When the pub was first built, Ora Banda boasted a population of 2,000.

Today it has only a handful of permanent residents, but attracts tourists from far and wide.

Mr Lucas conceded that one of the pub's main drawcards was its chequered history.

He said the pub had been "unofficially" up for sale for the past few years.