Fire Destroys Clubhouse At Abandoned Escondido Country Club

ESCONDIDO, CA – Flames erupted Wednesday morning at the abandoned Escondido Country Club.

The blaze broke out about 5:20 a.m. and burned down the closed clubhouse on West Country Club Lane and Golden Circle Drive. Thick smoke could be seen from miles away.

Firefighters found the clubhouse fully engulfed in flames when they responded to the two-alarm fire around 5:30 a.m. Crews took a "defensive approach to the stubborn fire," fighting the flames from the exterior, Escondido fire Battalion Chief Art Holcomb said. Ten engines, three trucks, three ambulances and three battalion chiefs were dispatched to the scene.

Fire crews were expected to be on scene much of the day knocking down the flames, mopping up the aftermath and investigating the cause.

There was no early indication as to what started the fire, but it sparked on what is supposed to be a record-breaking day of heat in Escondido and the rest of San Diego County. The blaze also broke out a week after the Escondido City Council approved a housing development for the site.

The Escondido Country Club has been closed since 2013. The council voted 3-2 in favor of a housing project called "The Villages," which would include the construction of 380 homes on the 109 acres of the abandoned golf course and country club.

That plan was fiercely opposed by many residents, including a coalition of about 300 neighbors who live near the golf course and are plotting a legal challenge to fight the city's decision.

Beverly Hills businessman Michael Schlesinger bought the property in 2012. Under the project approved last week, Schlesinger will sell the property to developer New Urban West and that company will build The Villages project.

Schlesinger has faced opposition at several San Diego County sites where he purchased golf courses with plans to develop housing projects on the land. Earlier this month, voters in Poway resoundingly rejected a ballot measure that would have allowed Schlesinger to build 180 luxury condominiums at the StoneRidge County Club. Poway's Measure A was defeated 62 percent to 38 percent, and the next day Schlesinger followed through on threats he made before the election to close the facility.

City News Service and Kristina Houck/Patch contributed to this report.

Photo: Smoke from the fire as seen from San Marcos. Photo by Hoa Quach, Patch staff