Country club ‘wiped out’ in second fire in two days

Structure destroyed in West Hartford a day after first blaze

A West Hartford country club was destroyed after two fires broke out in two days, causing parts of the clubhouse to collapse and leaving the rest of the building severely burned.

At 2:18 a.m. Sunday, dispatchers received a 911 call from a person who lives near the Wampanoag Country Club reporting that they could see fire coming from the top of one of the club’s buildings — the same building that had been on fire on Saturday, officials said.

Firefighters arrived on the scene at 2:23 a.m. and found heavy fire coming through the roof and throughout the entire building, with some parts of the structure already starting to collapse, according to the West Hartford Fire Department.

Mutual aid was called in for the second-alarm fire, and the bulk of the fire was knocked down at 3:57 a.m. with ongoing suppression efforts still in process Sunday morning.

Firefighters did not believe anyone was inside the building at the time of the second fire and the department said in a statement Sunday that “responders have no information to suggest that anyone remains inside of the building.”

At 2:10 a.m. on Saturday, an employee of the club called 911 to report a fire at the loading dock area. The caller was the only person in the building at the time and escaped the blaze without any injuries.

Firefighters found heavy fire at the loading dock and east end of the building, along with smoke coming from multiple parts of the roof.

The bulk of the fire was in a fenced area outside the club near a kitchen door. Right after arriving on the scene, fire crews also noticed 20-pound propane cylinders releasing gas that were also on fire, officials said.

The fire outside was quickly put out, but officials said it “took multiple crews over an hour to gain access to all the areas of the attic space to extinguish the many areas that still had small pockets of fire.”

Most of the roof fire was put out from the roof and ladders, officials said.

The department said Sunday that, “the majority of the structure has been consumed by fire.”

Richard Arnold of West Hartford has been a member of the club for nearly 60 years.

He said the clubhouse — which was the primary structure lost in the fire — included the club’s office, dining room, kitchen, locker rooms and a card room.

The longtime member said he went to the site of the incident after the second fire and could see that the building was severely damaged.

“It’s devastated. The roof is gone and the inside is totally wiped out,” he said.

Since joining in 1964, Arnold has enjoyed golfing at the club every season. That loyal membership, he said, is not going to be lost by the loss of the clubhouse. And most importantly, no members or staff were hurt or killed.

“The structure is gone but the people, the golf course, the views, the attitude is still there,” said Arnold.

Club administrators, Arnold said, are already assuring members that they will rebuild soon. And the spirit of the club members’ camaraderie will remain strong, he said.

Contractor vehicles and generators related to restoration efforts from Saturday’s fire were already on the scene when Sunday’s fire broke out.

The West Hartford Fire Department said Sunday morning they will remain on scene for an extended period and that Wampanoag Drive is closed.

On Sunday, all on-duty West Hartford fire companies responded to the scene, in addition to the Uconn Fire Department, Avon Fire Department, New Britain Fire Department, American Medical Response and the West Hartford Police Department.

The cause of Sunday’s fire was being investigated by the West Hartford Fire Marshal’s Office, the West Hartford Police Department and the Connecticut State Police Fire Explosion and Investigation Unit, officials said.