Fire rips through landmark golf resort

KIAWAH ISLAND -- The dark, black smoke could be seen from miles away. Ominous red flames rose high into the sky above the slate roof of the picturesque River Course Clubhouse. On Wednesday, a devastating fire ripped through what was once considered the crown jewel of the golf resort.

In the end, firefighters couldn't save the multimillion-dollar building.

The blaze fed on the 36,000-square-foot clubhouse for several hours, overwhelming firefighters from the St. John's Fire Department, who doused the flames from high atop ladders that hovered just a few feet above the flames.

Firefighters were first called to the clubhouse about 3 a.m. for a fire that appears to have started in a sauna, Fire Chief Karl Ristow said. A sprinkler system contained the fire and firefighters were able to knock it down very quickly, he said.

After extinguishing the earlier fire, firefighters went through the entire building with heat-sensing devices and found no heat signatures anywhere in the building, Ristow said. "We felt certain that we had it out," he said.

One of the pipes feeding the sprinkler system was damaged by the earlier fire, so firefighters had to leave the sprinkler system off until it could be inspected, Ristow said.

About 8 a.m., firefighters were called back to the clubhouse and fire was coming through the roof, he said.

The fire was brought under control about 1 p.m., but there was little hope for the gutted building that had contained antique furniture, several original paintings and a large clock that chimed every hour. Ristow said the building was a total loss.

The Red Cross was there to deliver food and water to firefighters while employees stood and watched the building burn. Reporters were turned away from the private resort, said Judy Sperling-Newton, public affairs volunteer for the Carolina Lowcountry Chapter of the American Red Cross.

The Kiawah Island Club plans to rebuild the clubhouse immediately, said Mike Touhill, public relations director for Kiawah Development Partners. In the meantime, it plans to resume normal golf operations as soon as the Fire Department deems the area safe for public use. Fifty-five River Course employees will be temporarily relocated to other departments within the Kiawah Island Club, he said.

The clubhouse was built in 1996 for $6.5 million. At the time, it was the island's crowning achievement -- overlooking the Tom Fazio-designed championship golf course -- until the Ocean Course clubhouse was built for $22 million in 2007.

Amenities included a pro shop, dining room, grille room, veranda, living room, men's and women's lounges with locker areas, fitness center and day spa. Adjacent to the clubhouse are two red clay tennis courts.

Fire has broken out at Kiawah Island clubhouses before.

In 2007, the Ocean Course club was the scene of a gas explosion during a final inspection that happened about a week before the 68th Senior PGA Championship a week later.

Two workers were treated at the burn center in Augusta. The fire was contained to the kitchen area on the first floor and didn't interfere with the tournament.

Also, the Beach Club was rebuilt in 1994 after fire burned the structure a year earlier.