BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Interviews, photographs and burn pattern analysis are among the strategies fire officials are using to pinpoint the cause of the Thursday blaze that devastated the historic Oakland Hills Country Club clubhouse.
Bloomfield Township Fire Chief John LeRoy told The Detroit News on Monday that answers from his department's fire investigation are likely weeks away, but investigators already are amassing clues about the fire's origins.
"Everything right now is just speculation," he said. "There is a lot of work to do and the fire is not completely out. ... It's a total loss."
A club employee reported smelling smoke in a kitchen area at 9:17 a.m. Thursday and the firefighters were on the scene within five minutes, and the building was already in flames.
"Much of it seemed to be in the attic area, but fire goes up so that doesn't mean it started there," LeRoy said. "It could have been moving inside the walls. In electrical wiring. A lot of potential different sources."
The structure and size of the clubhouse magnified the intensity of the blaze that swept through it four days ago aided by Mother Nature, LeRoy said.
"We had 35 mile an hour winds at one point," he said. "It fed that fire and it blew through the clubhouse like a blowtorch."
Fortunately, no injuries were reported, among staff or firefighters, LeRoy said.
The stately, sprawling 90,000-square foot, two-story building was built in 1922 and went through a multimillion-dollar renovation about 20 years ago, he said. It also contained a rare collection of artwork, historic photographs and trophies stemming from numerous events including internationally known golf tournaments Oakland Hills hosted over the years.
LeRoy said some of the artifacts were saved from the Thursday fire by the quick actions of staff, club officials and firefighters. Some less coveted items, he noted, including sought surveillance camera equipment, were salvaged Monday from the ashes.
LeRoy said at this point there's nothing suspicious in the biggest fire he has worked on in his 22-year career as a firefighter.
"Investigators are looking at various things, including burn patterns, that may help explain what happened," he said.
LeRoy said his 60-man department was assisted by at least 15 other fire agencies who are part of Oakway, a mutual aid partnership.
Several firefighters photographed or filmed areas from inside the blaze as it spread, LeRoy said.
"We took photos from the very beginning outside and in," he said. "We have been interviewing employees for a couple days. There are still many (interviews) to be done as we also go over what we can learn from the fire damage."
At some point, it may be necessary to bring in excavating equipment and dig deeper into the layers of charred roof, floors and walls, he said.
Oakland Hills Country Club President Rick Palmer said earlier Monday that the club's leaders continue to have discussions with its insurance provider. The membership, he said, is operating under the assumption that the clubhouse is a total loss and a likely complete rebuild would take at least two golf seasons.
Palmer had no estimate on the cost — a renovation in 1999 and 2000 cost more than $16 million, and a complete rebuild would cost much more. But he said the membership believes it was fully insured. The club, which held an emergency board meeting over the weekend, has begun interviewing architects.
"We are confident about our future," Palmer said in a Zoom press conference with local and national reporters Monday morning. He added the club is confident it will "come back stronger than ever."
The ongoing investigation into the fire involves Oakland Hills, Bloomfield Township Fire, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office fire investigation team and insurance agencies, LeRoy said.
"We will be meeting over several areas of this and comparing notes as we go along," LeRoy said.
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(Tony Paul contributed to this report.)
