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Fire destroys UT Golf clubhouse

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Charles Wood, HCN

Fire and high winds spelled disaster for the new clubhouse under construction at the University of Texas Golf Club on Wednesday. The $8 million, 16,000 square-foot structure at 2200 University Club Drive, was essentially a total loss. Set to open in March, it was approximately 70 percent complete.

At around 12:30 p.m., Austin Fire Dispatch began receiving calls that heavy smoke was pouring out of the clubhouse. The first firefighters came from a Hudson Bend Fire Department station located about a half-mile from the clubhouse in Steiner Ranch, but because of the rapid spread of the fire, the Austin Fire Department was called in to assist.

No one was injured in the fire, and all workers were accounted for, according to HBFD spokesman Dale Faust.

It took about two hours to bring the fire under control, and several more hours to extinguish remaining hot spots. “Strong winds pushed the fire throughout the structure,” said Faust. “It looks like a total loss.”

Three investigators were on the scene Wednesday afternoon, trying to determine the cause of the fire, which early reports suggest may have started on the roof, according to Faust.

Although the winds, which were gusting up 30 miles per hour, played a major role in the disaster, they also pushed the flames away from the old clubhouse, which remains in use.

Steve Termeer, General Manager and Director of Golf at the University of Texas Golf Club, shared that sense of loss. “Obviously it's a disappointment, to watch it go up for 10 months and within a couple of hours to see it all come down,” he said.

Termeer said efforts will be made to salvage building materials, but he believes that at least 95 percent of the building was lost. “We will see if the slab or the steel can be saved,” he said. “At this point, we will work with our existing contractor to get it torn down and get it built back as soon as possible.”

Termeer said the clubhouse could be finished in 10 months, but will most likely take another year to complete. In the meantime, the existing clubhouse will be able to serve golfers, as it has for the past four years.

“It was tragic and disappointing, but we're going to battle back and move forward,” said Termeer.

E-mail charles@hillcountrynews.com

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