Fire at former Hawthorne Country Club in Dartmouth under investigation. Here's what we know.
DARTMOUTH – The cause of a blaze that broke out Sunday afternoon at the former Hawthorne Country Club building on Tucker Road remains under investigation.
Jake Wark, spokesman for the State Fire Marshal’s office, said Monday morning that the fire remains under investigation by the Dartmouth Fire District 2, Dartmouth Police, and the State Fire Marshal’s. Wark said the fire started inside the building, but added, investigators would not be more specific than that at this point in the investigation.
"Anyone with information on the fire, or who made observations in the area of the former Hawthorne Country Club on Sunday afternoon is asked to share it with Dartmouth Police or the State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit," said Wark in a press release.
Tipsters are also urged to contact the Arson Watch Reward Program at 1-800-682-9229. The Arson Watch Reward Program is coordinated by the Massachusetts Property Insurance Underwriters Association and offers rewards of up to $5,000 for information that helps detect or prevent arson crimes.
On Sunday, Dartmouth Fire District 2 Chief Erick Turcotte, said the fire was first reported around 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Crews from Dartmouth’s fire districts 1, 2 and 3 reported to the scene and had the fire knocked down two hours later.
Turcotte said no one was in the building at the time of the fire, and that the club had been abandoned for some time.
There were no injuries to fire crews, Turcotte said, and mutual aid from neighboring towns was not needed to help fight the fire.
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In the immediate aftermath of the fire, extensive damage was visible to the building's first and second floors. The triangular gable above the clubhouse's door was almost entirely burned away, with apparent holes in the roof and in the rear wall. A dozen vertical windows along the front of the building's second floor were all blown out.
Last week, it was reported that a luxury home builder, Toll Brothers, purchased the former country club for $3 million, including 56 acres of property with a nine-hole golf course and country club overlooking the Paskamansett Valley. The Hawthorne Country Club closed in 2015.
Toll Brothers founded by brothers Bob and Bruce Toll is a Fortune 500 company founded in 1967 that has built luxury homes in 24 states nationwide. The company’s website features homes in Plymouth, Scituate and several other Massachusetts towns.
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Hawthorne Country Club in Dartmouth on fire week after sale announced
