Two golf clubs are devastated by fires, three days apart

Two separate fires at two UK golf clubs within three days of each other have caused significant damage to both venues.

Uphall Golf Club in West Lothian has been “devastated” by a fire that saw 10 fire appliances arrive at the scene with firefighters working through the early hours of the morning on February 6..

The club posted on social media: “While we are extremely thankful there were no injuries or fatalities, we are saddened that a great deal of the club’s history has been lost. May we also take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to the emergency services who attended the scene and worked tirelessly for hours on end to bring the blaze under control.

“And so while work goes on to determine the cause of this horrible event, as a club we now look to the future and start the journey on the next chapter of the club’s fine history.

“We hope it won’t be long before we can welcome you all back to create more wonderful memories.”

Uphall Golf Club’s devastated clubhouse. Image from Facebook

Club captain Margaret Brown added: “I’ve been overwhelmed and amazed by the amount of good wishes and offers of help and support we have received since Saturday’s incident.

“It’s proving very difficult to try and answer them all personally, so on behalf of all of the committee can I convey our immense thanks to everyone who has taken the time to get in touch.

“The committee are continuing to work extremely hard behind the scenes and we will continue to provide updates as regularly as possible. In the meantime, we truly appreciate your continued support of our club.”

Less than four days later, Boringdon Park Golf Club in Plymouth was also hit by a fire.

An outbuilding containing diesel, petrol and fertiliser was completely destroyed by fire. with ‘sheets of sharp corrugated metal jutting out in all directions’.

Seven fire crews battled the inferno for several hours. A spokesman said there was 2,000 litres of diesel, an acetylene cylinder, petrol and fertiliser inside the burning outbuilding, and the ‘structural integrity of the building’ had also been compromised – making it unsafe for fire crews.

Jon Grainger, manager of Boringdon Park Golf Club, said: “Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service did a fantastic job. It was very windy last night, making the firefighting very difficult.

“We’re now waiting for fire officers to come and have a conversation with us about the matter.”

Mr Grainger said the building was where the club stored its machinery and equipment to maintain the course.

Describing the scene he faced, he said: “It’s pretty devastated.”