Country Club In West Hartford Damaged By Fire: WHFD

WEST HARTFORD, CT — A local country club building was heavily damaged by a pesky fire early Saturday morning, according to the West Harford Fire Department.

The WHFD said firefighters were called to the Wampanoag Country Club, 60 Wampanoag Drive, at about 2:10 a.m. Saturday after receiving an emergency call from an employee there.

According to firefighters, the caller — the lone person in the building at the time — reported a blaze at the building's loading dock area.

Firefighters rushed to the scene, with the first units there at 2:18 a.m. The West Hartford Police Department — which confirmed the "active fire" — had a unit there by 2:16 a.m., the WHFD said.

"The fire units reported heavy fire in the area of the loading dock at the east end of the building," wrote WHFD Deputy Chief Eric R. Munsell in a release Saturday morning. "There was also significant smoke coming from the multiple areas of the roof."

While battling the blaze, firefighters had to address a potentially explosive situation as a 20-pound propane cylinder was releasing gas during the inferno and it was on fire, firefighters said.

The WHFD said "the bulk of the fire was on the exterior in a fenced area of the southeast corner that was near a kitchen exit."

Eventually, the fire penetrated into the roof structure of the building, according to firefighters.

As a result, "significant fire damage was found to a large area of the attic space on the south and east ends of the building."

The WHFD said the exterior fire was extinguished quickly, but the attic space flames proved to be more difficult to address, with firefighters needing more than an hour to extinguish them.

"Access to the attic from the interior was not readily accessible so much of the work was performed from the roof and off of ladders," wrote Munsell.

Munsells credited fellow WHFD firefighters, along with responding mutual aid units, in battling the blaze.

"All West Hartford Fire units were on scene for this fire and worked tirelessly with the challenging extinguishment and overhaul," he said.

"The West Hartford Fire Department had assistance from an engine company from the Uconn Fire Department on scene and the remainder of the town was covered by mutual aid standby companies from New Britain Fire Department, Hartford Fire Department and Newington Fire Department."

An American Medical Response unit was on scene, but no firefighters were injured in the blaze, Munsell said.

The West Hartford Fire Marshall’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire, which is undetermined as of Saturday morning.

Firefighters were released from the scene at about 4:15 a.m.