Man's remains found after fire engulfs Queensland hotel

Police have confirmed the remains of a 26-year-old Brisbane man have been found after a fire broke out in a Queensland hotel in the early hours of this morning.

The blaze quickly engulfed the Tattersalls Hotel at Pittsworth at about 3.30 this morning.

The man was one of 12 people inside the hotel.

Only 11 have been found so far. It is believed the missing person was a worker at the hotel.

The heat of the fire and concerns about the structure's integrity have prevented firefighters from searching the building.

Senior station officer Shane Rankin said one of the guests at the hotel was woken by a smoke alarm and alerted everyone except the missing person.

"This person has most probably saved the lives of those other 10 persons," Mr Rankin told reporters at the scene.

Michael Carpenter, co-owner of the nearby Pittsworth Hotel Motel, said he was in bed when he was woken by loud explosions.

Police have declared the area a crime scene.

There is early speculation the fire may have started from a sign on the front of the hotel.

Mr Carpenter said they were still shaken by the incident, particularly because they knew the missing person.

"They were just talking about it before and were tearing up, which you would," he said.

Mr Carpenter said the blaze destroyed "a lot of history" in Pittsworth.

More to come...