WAYZATA, Minn. — Two firefighters were injured as crews battled for hours putting down a 4-alarm fire at Woodhill Country Club in Wayzata Tuesday morning.
Wayzata Fire Chief Kevin Klapprich says crews were called to the scene at 200 Woodhill Road around 8 a.m. to find smoke and flames filling the lower level.
Klapprich described how the fire was burning in a confined space between the ceiling of a lower level, and the floor of an upper level of one wing of the main clubhouse. He called it a stubborn fire, one that was very difficult to get to as crews had to pull down the ceiling to put water on the flames. That was the main reason the fire escalated from two to four alarms around 10 a.m.
The Wayzata Fire Department says crews eventually had to remove ceilings, walls and floors to extinguish the fire.
The fire impacted a wing of the clubhouse that houses offices, locker rooms and storage. Chief Klapperich says a firewall between that wing and the portion of the building that houses the dining room and other member gathering spaces kept damage to a minimum. The section that burned does not have a fire sprinkler system, while the main section does.
Images from Sky 11 showed ladder trucks with booms extended so water could be laid down on the roof of the main building. Firefighters could be seen working both inside and outside on the ground level, and on the roof. The Wayzata Fire Department says all units were cleared from the scene by 2 p.m.
According to the fire department, two firefighters were injured on the scene, and were treated and released at a hospital for minor injuries.
On its website Woodhill describes itself as "a family oriented private country club that serves as a primary social and recreational center for members by providing high quality activities and facilities." The club was incorporated in 1915.
An employee tells KARE 11 that the clubhouse and main facility is closed during the month of March for cleaning, construction and improvements. It is unclear if work crews were on site at the time of the fire, or what the source of ignition was.