Mike Martindale
The Detroit News
(MCT)
Mar. 1—Bloomfield Township — A pastry chef at the Oakland Hills Country Club first noticed smoke coming out of a kitchen vent before a massive fire destroyed the iconic building, according to a police report.
Fire officials said there is no indication the cause of the Feb. 17 fire is suspicious but establishing the exact cause and pinpointing where the fire began in what was a stately 90,000-square-foot club could take several weeks.
The police report obtained by The News indicates a few club members were inside the building about 9:15 a.m. when the pastry chef noticed smoke coming out of a kitchen vent. About 12 to 15 club employees were inside or outside the building at the time of the fire. All exited the building as blinking strobe lights and smoke and fire alarms went off, according to the report.
During peak golf season, Oakland Hills has about 300 employees; off-season, there are about 25.
Susan Alyward, director of finance for the club, said fire alarms went off at about 9:15 a.m. during a board meeting. Alyward took photos of the fire scene, which police said showed rapid movement of the fire: “9:45 a.m. smoke near the chimney area; 9:53 a.m., more smoke along the south roof end; 9:56 a.m., more smoke spreading along the south roof; 9:59 a.m., more smoke but now moving toward the north end; 10:02 a.m., more smoke at the roof; 10:17 a.m., flames visible to the north of the side of the initial chimney area.”
The club, which has hosted more than a dozen major golf championships, beginning in the 1920s, continued to burn despite the efforts of several fire departments. It was still smoldering days later, fire officials said. There were no injuries.
One of the employees present, Matt Dossey, an Oakland Hills assistant general manager, like others, was interviewed by police in the club pool house.
Several contractors were at work around the building at a veranda and at the rear of the building where they had been working a project for about a month, fire investigators were told, according to the report.
The police report mentions space heaters may have recently been placed in the building’s attic to dry out water damage from a roof leak.
Dossey told police at one point he left the pool house, where employees had gathered, and walked back to the club entrance driveway to direct traffic and clear it of vehicles.
“我告诉m everyone had to get away from the building one of the contractors responded by laughing and saying ‘Really? I don’t care. We have work to do,'” Dossey told police. “When I told him he needed to comply he said he need to go back in and get his coat,” Dossey is quoted in the report. “Minutes later he came out again and moved the U-Haul truck.”
Two propane tanks, weighing 20 and 60 pounds, a propane heater and a torch found near the building being used by workers were taken into evidence by police.
Police Capt. James Gallagher, head of criminal investigations, would not comment on the report, directing questions to the fire department.
“We have no comment on our investigation at this time,” said township Fire Chief John LeRoy. “We still need to establish cause and origin. We have a lot of work to do, including interviews.”
Fire Marshal Peter Vlahos also declined to comment.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office fire investigation unit is assisting in the township fire probe.
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