The West Hartford Fire Marshal’s Office and the Connecticut State Police Fire & Explosion Unit investigated the two fires, on April 20 and April 21, 2024, that ultimately gutted the Wampanoag Country Club clubhouse, concluding that the origin of the first fire could not be determined, while the second was likely a continuation of the first.

By Ronni Newton

A fire in the early hours of April 20, 2024 caused significant damage to the clubhouse at Wampanoag Country Club in West Hartford, and then a second blaze that broke out on April 21 – roughly 24 hours later – completely destroyed the nearly-70-year-old building, which was declared a total loss and has now been rebuilt.

Preliminary findings, released just days after the fires, stated that arson was not suspected in either fire, and seemed to indicate that the second fire, which was reported in the early morning hours of April 21, was “likely a continuation” of the April 20 fire.

Results of a full-scale investigation, by both the West Hartford Fire Marshal’s Office and the Connecticut State Police Fire & Explosion Unit, a copy of which was received by We-Ha.com on Friday morning, reached the same conclusion. “Investigators ruled out arson and other forms of human involvement, however a specific cause could not be conclusively identified. Evidence indicates the second fire was likely a continuation of the first incident,” the report states.

In a statement Friday, West Hartford Fire Chief Greg Priest said, “I want to thank our fire investigators and the Connecticut State Police for their assistance as well as the Wampanoag Country Club community for their patience and cooperation throughout this complex investigation. Fire investigation is a difficult process due to the nature of these events, in which much of the evidence is often destroyed. Based on extensive on-scene work, witness interviews, and a review of physical evidence, investigators were able to conclude that arson and other forms of human involvement were not a factor, however an exact cause could not be determined. The investigation is now closed.”

First fire, April 20, 2024

Dispatchers were notified of the blaze at 2:10 a.m., Saturday, April 20, by an employee at Wampanoag who reported a fire at the loading dock area. No one else was on the premises, and the caller, who was the bar manager, was able to evacuate safely, a West Hartford Fire Department official told We-Ha.com at the time.

When crews arrived at 2:16 a.m., heavy fire was visible in the loading dock area – determined to be the area of origin – and smoke was pouring from multiple areas of the roof.

According to the complete report, officials were able to review video from a security camera that was on the roof and remained operational until that portion of the roof caught fire and the camera failed due to the “extreme heat” as the blaze spread. Ventilation of the roof was undertaken by crews on ladders, and suppression of any “remaining fire visible at the time” was performed.

“A statement from the occupant of the country club was obtained stating an odd odor was present earlier in the night on the loading dock that was investigated by employees. Later into the night/early morning the same occupant discovered a fire on the loading dock,” the report states.

Cloth towel bins were present on the loading bin, near the exterior door from the kitchen hallway, the report states. “Apparent in the video and employee interviews an odd odor was present on the loading dock area in which several employees were seen on the video trying to locate the source. The video shows employees checking several areas of the loading dock including pans, shelves and the smoker. During the investigation phase metal frames were discovered from the cloth bins that contained soiled kitchen towels on the ground in front of the kitchen hallway door. This is the area on video showing smoke then fire. Employees described this area as the drop off point for towels used for cleaning inside of the country club prior to a service company removing the towels and linens for cleaning. Analysis of fire patterns and damage also indicated fire originating in this area.”

Also located nearby were propane cylinders and a smoker that had been used that evening, in addition to other items, the report states.

In the investigation, evidence reviewed included video and photographs, and witness interviews.

All on-duty West Hartford Fire Department units responded to the April 20 fire, with assistance provided by the UConn Fire Department as well.

The report states that seen on security video footage three employees – the “bar manager, chef, and his assistant” – checked the loading dock including the smoker and pans for an unknown odor. The video also shows the bar manager smoking a cigarette on the patio that was then discarded into a 5-gallon bucket filled with rocks and sand. It shows an employee washing the ashes out of the smoker tray/pan with a garden hose. “A segment of the video captured an area in front of the kitchen hallway door on the loading dock described by employees as a cloth towel bin smoking then igniting which contained soiled towels from cleaning inside of the country club. During the video segments an employee is seen throwing a towels) into the cloth bin as described prior to the fire where smoke was emanating from in the same area.”

The bar manager told investigators that she and others had tried to figure out the source of what she described as a “chemical/plastic smell.” She said the last patron left the clubhouse around 1:15 0r 1:20 a.m. on April 20. As she was preparing to leave and making sure all doors were locked, she opened the loading dock door and saw the fire. She tried to put it out with a garden hose, but “upon applying water to the fire, flames grew in size and approached the gutter at the roof soffit,” the report states. She then called 911.

The “building construction, including a metal ceiling in the area below the attic fire and several partitions in the attic, made access to the seat of the fire challenging for crews,” the report states.

The complete conclusion of the report on the April 20 fire by the West Hartford Fire Marshal states:

“After performing the investigation to determine origin and cause, interviewing the only occupant on scene of the Wampanoag Country Club and reviewing video submitted by the Wampanoag Country Club several potential causes could not be ruled out to determine the cause of the fire.

“Smoking materials, the investigative team considered the possibility of a fire caused by improper disposal of smoking materials as a possible ignition source. In the area of origin there were combustible items.

“Spontaneous Combustion of oil-soaked towels, later testing conducted please see lab results.

“Smoker, used for the 1st time the evening of the fire. An employee was on the loading dock washing the pan with a garden hose  containing ashes in the area of origin.

“Human interaction ruled out through video segments sent by wampanoag country club general manager.

“Currently, until additional information and evidence is provided the cause of the fire is undetermined.”

Second fire, April 21, 2024

The second blaze was reported at approximately 2:18 a.m. on Sunday, April 21, 2024.

The Connecticut State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit (FEIU) was brought in to assist the West Hartford Fire Marshal’s Office and West Hartford Police in examining the scene and with the “origin and cause investigation.” FEIU had not initially been involved in the investigation of the April 20 fire.

At 3:49 a.m. on April 21, assistance from the FEIU at the scene was requested, and four members from that unit worked as a team with the West Hartford Fire Marshal’s Office and the West Hartford Police Department Detective Division.

The scientific investigation involved reviewing the building construction, electrical system, heating system, smoke and fire alarm system, sprinkler system, and weather. Interviews were conducted with witnesses and Wampanoag staff members.

According to the FEIU report, the electricity and gas to the building was turned off after the April 20 fire. Following that fire, the facilities manager had asked their electrician to get the sprinkler system back up and running after one sprinkler head had gone off during the first fire, and that was supposed to take place on April 21.

The facilities manager also noted that generators were in use for the cleaning and restoration work from the April 20 fire.

“I personally got up on a ladder and checked the attic space and didn’t see any signs of smoke or embers in the attic,” he stated in his witness interview, and relayed that information by text to West Hartford Deputy Fire Marshal James Paul before locking up the premises and leaving.

The general manager and COO at Wampanoag at the time of the fires was also interviewed during the investigation. He said he believed he was the last person to leave on Saturday evening, April 20, and was aware that the facilities manager had checked and secured the clubhouse building and reported to the fire department that there was no sign of smoke or fire.

He said he was not aware of any issues with the alarms or sprinklers prior to the fire, and no recent issues between employees, staff or members.

A neighbor, who called 911 to report the second fire at approximately 2:20 a.m. on April 21, told dispatchers that fire  – which was “very high” – appeared to be coming from the same place as the fire the day before.

Among the witnesses interviewed by the FEIU team was a man driving home from dinner with his wife around 7:45 p.m. on April 20, who decided to drive by Wampanoag to see the damage from the first fire.

“We were sitting in front of the club on Wampanoag Drive looking at the damage and noticed smoke coming out of the far right corner of the building. We assumed it was smoke being blown back out of the club due to the fact that trucks and generators were parked out front,” he told investigators. He said he reached out to the club president via text to tell him what he saw, but had not received a response.

The FEIU team analyzed evidence collected at the scene, including debris, according to protocols and ASTM testing standards.

The loading dock was ruled out as the place of origin for the second fire. The Pro Shop was ruled out as the location of origin for the second fire because had it started there, the fire would have vented out of the large windows at the east side of the shop, which did not occur. Based on an analysis of fire dynamics and photographs collected early in the incident that indicated no fire on the first floor, that area was ruled out as a potential area of origin for the second fire.

Investigators noted that on April 20, “members of the West Hartford Fire Marshal’s Office summoned fire department personnel back to the scene due to an area of the roof smoking at the ‘alpha-delta’ (southeast) corner. Personnel responded and extinguished hot spots within the roof in the area. Fire department personnel captured video from within the attic area, which depicted smoldering in the area of a ridge beam at the southeast corner of the building, and embers dropping from the roof structure area.”

The report states that based on the fact that there had already been a hot spot treated, and the witness statement about seeing smoke from that same corner of the building, “an analysis of fire patterns and effects, in conjunction with a consideration of fire dynamics and witness information indicated a fire originating in this area.”

That same method of analysis of fire dynamics and patterns, witness information, photographs, and video, led investigators to rule out human cause, and to determine that an unidentified electrical event was unlikely the origin.

“Based upon an analysis of data gathered during the course of the investigation, and a consideration of the area of origin and potential ignition sources within the area, the investigative team was unable to disprove the hypothesis of a fire which was a continuation of the April 20 fire event,” states the report.

The origin of the second fire was determined to be the “vicinity of the roof structure/attic at the southeastern section of the building.”

As for the cause, “The Investigative Team determined that it is probable that the fire which occurred on April 21, 2024, was a continuation of the fire which occurred on April 20, 2024,” the report from the Connecticut Department of Public Safety states.

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