The smell was unmistakeable and the sight was one workers were not prepared to see. Gathered Monday morning in front of the rubble that remained, employees and members of the Bloomington Country Club stood in awe as forensics teams searched for clues as to what caused a fire destroying 70 percent of the clubhouse.
"It was very sad to watch it burn," one employee said as a group assembled at the back side of the building.
Piles of charred metal, broken glass and burnt wood were all that remained of the 30-year-old structure.
Perry Clearcreek Fire Department Captain Joe McWhorter Jr. said a call went into
Monroe County central dispatch shortly after 7:10 p.m. and heavy smoke was showing when dispatch arrived on the scene.
"Within five to ten minutes (the fire) was breaching the roof," he said.
The Country Club was still in business at the time the fire started. Former IU men's soccer coach Jerry Yeagely was inside playing a game of cards when the fire began. Employees that surrounded the remains of the building said he and a couple of others smelled a fire and started to go upstairs when they were met with a large cloud of smoke.
"There's major fire damage throughout the building, McWhorter Jr. said. "(There is) heat, smoke and water damage throughout the building. My presumption would be a total loss (of the building)."
Yeagly returned Monday morning to survey the scene and chatted with other club members and employees.
Employees mentioned the repair of a grill earlier in the week and said the last time anyone had cooked was around 6 p.m. in the downstairs kitchen.
While the cause of the fire still remains under investigation, speculation as to the origin of the fire centers around the upstairs kitchen and an office inside that area, McWhorter Jr. said.
Club members and employees seemed optimistic that they would prevail over the situation. Whether any business or holiday parties would be rescheduled is unknown. Several records from the club were housed inside at the time of the fire and the condition of those files were also unknown.
"People do crazy things every day," McWhorter Jr. said referring to the possibility of repairing the building, "but I can't see this being saved."
