FOR Roma resident Donna C'Ward, the flames coming from the Royal Hotel were so hot she nearly dropped her phone recording this.

Ms C'Ward has captured the extraordinary moment when the balcony of the iconic pub collapsed from the inferno engulfing it.

Ms C'Ward recorded this footage on her phone of firefighters narrowly escaping the collapse of the Hawthorne St side of the building.

She said the sudden gust of hot air was intense.

"As you can see when I drop the camera, the heat was just intense," she said.

"It was a gush of heat when all the debris came across, like when you drop something and all the air is moved."

Ms C'Ward said she wanted the town and region to rally behind the owners of the Royal and their staff.

"They support this town and I think people will do anything to help," she said.

"This place has been frequented so much and a lot of the locals love this."