(Photo by Daniel Mears/The Detroit News)

Much of the Bloomfield Hills, Mich. club’s iconic, 110,000-sq. ft., 100-year-old clubhouse was described as “not recoverable” after more than a half-dozen area fire departments spent all day and night battling the massive blaze, which apparently broke out in the attic in the morning. But no one was hurt and the staff and members worked quickly with responders to help recover some of the historic artifacts housed in the clubhouse. “We will rebuild. It’s going to be a process,” said club President Rick Palmer. “But we will move forward with a purpose, to honor those who made this grand building come to life with their golf and their work, [and] I think we’ll come back well. I know we will.”

The massive blaze that engulfed the 110,000-sq. ft. clubhouse at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, Mich. on February 17th caused “extensive” damage, The Detroit News reported, complicating the future of the ornate and historic facility that has been host to major national golf championships.

The News reported that people in the clubhouse alerted firefighters to the smell of smoke at 9:17 a.m., according to Bloomfield Township Fire Chief John LeRoy. Firefighters then used thermal-imaging cameras and drilled inspection holes in the ceiling to find flames in the attic. It had been difficult to find the cause of the smell in such a large building, LeRoy said.

The clubhouse was engulfed by mid-morning, The News reported, and while the fire lost some strength by mid-afternoon, by 6:20 p.m. it had grown again on the south end of the building.

Crews remained on the scene through 11 p.m. and were expected to stay throughout the night, the township fire department said.

“It’s a tough, tough day,” said Rick Palmer, the club’s President. “It’s really a devastating day for Oakland Hills, for the golf community, for our members, for our staff. There’s so much history. But the blessings are, nobody was injured and everybody got out of the building.”

Palmer described the back of the building as “not recoverable,” The News reported.

“Only time will tell what is next, but we will move forward with a purpose to honor all those who made this grand building come to life with their golf and their work,” Palmer added.

There was somewhat better news about responders’ ability to rescue a significant number of the historic photos, paintings, trophies and other artifacts from the major golf tournaments that Oakland Hills has hosted since it was founded in 1916. The clubhouse, which was built in 1922 and remained one of the largest wooden structures in the U.S., has also served as one of golf’s richest museums, with a trophy case near the front entrance displaying replica trophies of tournaments won by the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Ben Hogan.

Palmer and LeRoy both praised firefighters for their efforts to salvage some of the historic pieces while also fighting to contain the blaze, The News reported.

“We had some mutual-aid crews that were instructed where the things were, since [the fire] was in the attic at the time,” LeRoy said. “They were able to get to locations they could get to quickly, pull that memorabilia out and hand it to the club members at the front door and go back in.”

At the end of the day, however, it remained unclear how much had been salvaged, and how much damage the clubhouse had sustained, The News reported. Firefighters were using aerial ladders to spray the clubhouse roof, and through much of the afternoon smoke billowed south for miles. LeRoy said he expected firefighters would continue fighting the blaze into Friday morning.

“We’re still pouring a tremendous amount of water on this,” he told The News. “At this point, we’re just going to be providing copious amounts of water to put it out as best we can and as safely as we can.”

A fire official who gave an evening briefing said the building was likely going to need to be rebuilt, The News reported.

More than a half-dozen area fire departments assisted in fighting the blaze, The News reported, and LeRoy said it will take days to determine the cause of the fire.

While some club members noted that there had been recent ongoing construction on a clubhouse patio, The News reported, it was unclear if that was related to the fire.

Reaction to the blaze spread swiftly across social media., The News reported

Longtime Oakland Hills member Greg Kampe, the men’s basketball coach at Oakland University, summed it up: “It’s hard to talk when you’re crying.”

Oakland County Executive David Coulter said he was thankful no one had been hurt.

“The devastating fire at the historic Oakland Hills Country Club today is such a tragic loss for the 100-year-old home to golfing greats from Sam Snead and Ben Hogan to Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer to Chi Chi Rodriguez and Tiger Woods,” Coulter tweeted, adding he is hoping for “a speedy recovery and rebuild.”

The golf world also started to send condolences on the loss, The News reported.

“Today, the Golf Association of Michigan was saddened by the news of the clubhouse fire at Oakland Hills Country Club,” said Chris Whitten, executive director and president of the Golf Association of Michigan (GAM). “Oakland Hills is one of 14 original clubs that founded the GAM in 1919, so our relationship and history is significant. The club is a true supporter of the game at all levels, professional and amateur.

“The iconic clubhouse itself is a treasure and contains some of the most significant golf memorabilia anywhere in the world from historic championships and legendary competitors.

“Golfers everywhere, especially in Michigan, send our best wishes to Oakland Hills for a speedy and important restoration.”

The United States Golf Association echoed that sentiment, The News reported.

“Our thoughts are with our friends at Oakland Hills,” John Bodenhamer, chief championships officer for the USGA, which has hosted 10 majors tournaments at Oakland Hills, said in a statement to The News. “We have been in touch with their staff and, most importantly, are relieved to hear that no one was injured.

“Along with so many others in the golf community, we have special memories at this storied venue and look forward to making more in the coming years,” Bodenhamer reported. “We will support the club wherever possible in this rebuilding process.”

Jack Nicklaus, who won the 1991 U.S. Senior Open at Oakland Hills, said “the clubhouse is as much a part of the story as the golf itself,” The News reported.

“Oakland Hills is one of those iconic golf clubs in America,” Nicklaus said in a statement to The News. “I was fortunate in recent years to visit Oakland Hills several times, and each opportunity to return to that clubhouse reminded me of their storied history and legacy. It is a sad day for the membership, but also for the countless people, like me, who respect and appreciate Oakland Hills.

“They will be able to rebuild the clubhouse, but it will be difficult to replace the many memories lost today,” Nicklaus said.

Oakland Hills, which has 36 holes including its most-famous South Course, had made significant renovations to its white, stately, pillared clubhouse throughout the years, including the most recent, in 1999, at a cost of $16.25 million, The News reported.

The club’s South Course also recently underwent a significant restoration, costing more than $12 million, in the hopes of helping the club land more major championships in the future. That restoration, in part, removed dozens of trees, which allowed golfers to view the clubhouse from almost any point on the golf course. Members who lauded the views during the course’s reopening in the summer of 2021 were mourning those same views as they heard of the fire.

Oakland Hills was recently awarded two U.S. Women’s Opens, in 2031 and 2042, by the USGA. It also remains on the USGA’s short list to be awarded another U.S. Open, for the first time since 1996.

It last hosted a professional major in 2008, with the PGA Championship, and it hosted the U.S. Amateur in 2016.

“We will rebuild. It’s going to be a process,” Palmer said. “But I think we’ll come back well. I know we will.

“We don’t anticipate this affecting any of our current discussions or plans [about future golf tournaments],” he added.