Blaze guts grand structure that served River Course; rebuilding planned KIAWAH ISLAND -- The dark, black smoke could be seen from miles away. Ominous red flames rose high into the sky above the slate roof of the picturesque River Course clubhouse. On Wednesday, a devastating fire ripped through what was once considered the crown jewel of the golf resort. In the end, firefighters couldn't save the multimillion-dollar building. Firefighters did all they could to extinguish a fire at the River Course clubhouse Wednesday on Kiawah Island. The blaze fed on the 36,000-square-foot clubhouse for several hours, overwhelming firefighters from the St. John's Fire Department, who doused the fire from high atop ladders that hovered just a few feet above the flames. Firefighters were first called to the clubhouse at about 3 a.m. for a fire that appears to have started in a sauna, Fire Chief Karl Ristow said. A sprinkler system contained the fire and firefighters were able to knock it down quickly, he said. After extinguishing that fire, firefighters went through the building with heat-sensing devices and found no heat signatures anywhere, Ristow said. "We felt certain that we had it out," he said. One of the pipes feeding the sprinkler system was damaged by the first fire, so firefighters had to leave the sprinkler system off until it could be inspected, Ristow said. At about 8 a.m., firefighters were called back to the clubhouse, and fire was coming through the roof, he said. The still-burning building was brought under control by 1 p.m., but there was little hope for the gutted building that had contained antique furniture, several original paintings and a large clock that chimed every hour. "It is going to burn to the ground," Judy Sperling- Newton, public affairs volunteer for the Carolina Lowcountry Chapter of the American Red Cross, said from the scene about 1:30 p.m. "They can't save it." The Red Cross was there to deliver food and water to firefighters while employees stood and watched the building burn. Reporters who made it to the scene were forced to leave by officials with the private resort. Ristow said the building was a total loss. He said firefighters would remain on the scene through the night, and perhaps into today, to make sure no hotspots remain. "It's too dangerous to go inside the building now," he said. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The Kiawah Island Club plans to rebuild the clubhouse immediately, said Mike Touhill, public relations director for Kiawah Development Partners. In the meantime, it plans to resume normal golf operations as soon as the Fire Department deems the area safe for public use. Fifty-five River Course employees will be temporarily relocated to other departments within the Kiawah Island Club, he said. The clubhouse was built in 1996 for $6.5 million. At the time it was the island's crowning achievement, overlooking the Tom Fazio-designed golf course, until the Ocean Course clubhouse was built for $22 million in 2007. According to information posted on the Kiawah Web site, the River Course clubhouse was designed by Shope Reno Wharton Associates of Greenwich, Conn. It sits on an ancient bluff surrounded by huge live oaks overlooking the Kiawah River to the north and Bass Pond to the southeast. Charleston designer Amelia Handegan decorated the interior, which included more than 20 original works of art. Amenities included a pro shop, dining room, grille room, veranda, living room, men's and women's lounges with locker areas, fitness center and day spa. Adjacent to the clubhouse are two red clay tennis courts. The roof was made from New York slate, and the deep wrap-around porches were decked with Brazilian Ipe wood. The large clock shaped the center, north-facing dormer. Fire has broken out at Kiawah Island clubhouses before. In 2007, the Ocean Course club was the scene of a gas explosion during a final inspection that happened about a week before the 68th Senior PGA Championship. Two workers were treated at the burn center in Augusta. The fire was contained to the kitchen area on the first floor and didn't interfere with the tournament. Also, the Beach Club was rebuilt in 1994 after fire burned the structure a year earlier.

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