About 9pm Saturday the driver of a black Holden ute lost control of their vehicle and ploughed into the East Coast Veterans Centre.

Fire from the car's engine spread to cladding on the building. The Tasmanian Fire Service was able to quickly extinguish the flames but the fire still caused about $20,000 worth of damage due to water and smoke damage.

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Lynn Morton, who has frequented the centre for nearly 20 years, said it was deeply saddening to see the hard work of the community destroyed.

"It is just sad to see all the hard work go down the drain when it has been there for so long," Ms Morton said.

St Helens and St Marys RSL branch president Wayne Cubitt said the situation was frustrating but at least no one was hurt.

He said it was disappointing that an irreplaceable army uniform had been damaged.

"It had been donated by a family. They gave it to us in good faith for us to display so people could see what uniforms looked like years ago," Mr Cubitt said.

"The trouble is you can't replace them."

Mr Cubitt said now all they could do was move forward.

The centre is not open physically but people in need of support can reach out to Wayne on 0427 026 500.

Police are still investigating the crash with early investigations suggesting alcohol played a part.

Anyone who witnessed the crash, or the driving behaviour of the black utility prior to the crash, is asked to contact St Helens Police Station on 131 444.

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