The Vermont Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit (FEIU) did not determine a specific cause of the fire that destroyed Hogan’s Pub at the Sugarbush Golf Course last week.
Warren Fire Chief Jeff Campbell said members of FEIU were onsite on the morning of September 25 and were able to determine that the fire started somewhere on the outside of the building.
“It was only the front façade of the building that was burning when we got there, not the whole building, but the fire made it to the attic and grew because of the balloon frame construction,” he said, noting that 70% of all fires are deemed undetermined because often whatever caused the fire has also been destroyed in the fire.
The four-alarm fire was reported by a neighbor, around 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 24. It destroyed Hogan’s Pub and heavily damaged the clubhouse at Sugarbush Resort Golf Club, drawing fire crews from Warren, Waitsfield, Moretown, and Waterbury to the scene. Fire crews worked through the night to contain the blaze. No injuries were reported.
Sugarbush spokesperson John Bleh said the golf course was operational and would remain open through mid-October. Plans for the future of Hogan’s Pub and the adjacent clubhouse are up in the air, he said.
“The Hogan’s Pub side is basically a shell now. The clubhouse was also damaged, but the structure is still standing.” Bleh said in an interview the day after the fire.
Bleh said security camera footage showed smoke beginning to appear sometime around 10 p.m., but the origin of the fire remains unknown.
Hogan’s Pub, a dining and event venue at the golf course, was housed in a building believed to be more than 100 years old. The structure began as a farmhouse and was later converted into a clubhouse with the pub added as an extension.
Sugarbush staff were able to move golf carts and some maintenance equipment to safety during the response, but most of the contents inside the building were lost. Golf operations resumed shortly after the fire.
In the immediate aftermath of the fire, Bleh said the resort addressed events scheduled for Hogan's Pub and the Club House.
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