SENNETT - It seemed like an ordinary day at the Highland Park Golf Club for Sasha Dunn, a waitress at the club's restaurant.

“We went through the kitchen and we didn't see anything or smell anything,” said the 21-year-old from Auburn. “A minute later we saw black smoke from the kitchen door.”

At 2:10 p.m. Tuesday, an anonymous call was made to Cayuga County 911 reporting a grease fire in the kitchen of the restaurant, according to Cayuga County Sheriff Dave Gould. Heavy flames quickly spread to the rest of the building, causing the roof to crumble. The building is a total loss, officials said, but the golf course was spared.

The blaze did not claim any lives or cause serious injuries. Lt. Scott Shaw, of the Auburn fire department, sprained his knee getting off of the building's roof. He was transported to Auburn Memorial Hospital for treatment and has since been released. Several other firefighters were treated at the scene for heat exhaustion, Gould said.

The Office of State Fire Prevention will conduct an investigation, Gould said, to determine the fire's exact cause.



“The good news is that there is no loss of life,” said Auburn Mayor Timothy Lattimore, “and it's great to see professionals and volunteer (firefighters) work to try to retain this structure. But it's only a building.”

“It has a lot of memories,” he later added, “but hopefully the building in the future will have memories.”

It certainly was a building filled with memories for Dom Basile, president of the golf club, who has been a member for 34 years.

“I'm devastated,” he said. “It's a total loss. There are a lot of memories here. You can't not feel bad. You have to feel bad.”

But in the end, it is just a building, and Basile said there will be another clubhouse at Highland Park, though he doesn't know when or where that will be.

“We will rebuild,” he said. “But we have a lot of work to do before we get to that point.”

Basile and the club's board of directors held an emergency meeting Tuesday evening to discuss what to do with the club and the many weddings and events booked there in the upcoming weeks.

He said that they would be looking at temporary structures - trailers, tents, portable kitchens and bathrooms - to get them through the rest of the golfing season and events.

“(The fire) means that we have a bump in the road,” he said, “but we'll be back.”

Firefighters on the scene from Sennett along with nine other fire companies through mutual aid were sent into the building to fight the fire from the interior. But the fire had spread to the rafters, making it difficult for firefighters to find access to the flames.

The smoke was getting worse, said one firefighter, when the decision was made to exit the building and fight the fire from the outside.

Dense black smoke filled what was crisp and clear blue skies as flames enveloped the entire building, reducing it to rubble and making the bustling clubhouse a distant memory.

“It happened so fast,” Dunn said. “I've never seen anything like that in my life.”

Members have the option of leaving their golf equipment in the clubhouse, and while the clubhouse may be gone, the equipment is left standing.

Equipment left in the brick-lined storage room was protected from the fire but not from about four inches of water. A few clubs were damaged, said member John Paleczny, of Auburn, and many smelled of smoke, but all in all, they were in good shape.

A few firefighters commented that road closures on Franklin Street east of Auburn had made getting water and firetrucks to the scene difficult.

Gould could not comment, only saying that construction is necessary and that fire companies did the best they could getting to the scene.

Sennett, Throop, Owasco, Fleming No. 1, Aurelius, Skaneateles, Weedsport, Mottville, Auburn, Port Byron and Red Jacket Fire Departments and the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office and the Cayuga County Emergency Management Services responded to the fire.

The destruction of the clubhouse, Gould said, is going to have a major impact on the community.

“It's a gathering place for the community,” he said. “It's one of the best golf courses in Central New York. We are really going to miss it.”

About 20 people from the community watched the blaze from the sidelines, taking photos and commenting on the loss of this local fixture.

“It's hard to believe that this is actually happening,” said Tracie Archambo of Auburn. “One day you're in business and the next day you're not.”

Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at alyssa.sunkin@lee.net or 253-5311 ext. 239.