Bridgnorth Golf Club fire could have been 'a heck of a lot worse', says club captain

The captain of Bridgnorth Golf Club said it could have been 'a heck of a lot worse' when the roof of the main building on Stanley Lane caught fire at about 2pm on Sunday, filling it with thick smoke.

Colin Turner said that although the club partially reopened less than 24 hours later, the fire has left a hole in the ceiling of the men's toilets which will remain closed while repair works are under way.

He said they may also have to replace the curtains and carpets that were damaged by smoke throughout the building.

But Mr Turner said it was thanks to club members who rang the fire brigade and the rapid response of the emergency services that prevented a possible catastrophe.

"I had initially heard it was a chimney fire, but smoke was pouring out of the roof tiles there," he said.

Assess

"There was smoke that filled the building and it leaves a fine film of soot and dust on surfaces so we'll have to assess the damage.

"Fortunately it was caught during the daytime and although it was a Sunday, people were there to ring the fire brigade straight away.

"There's a hole in the ceiling of the toilets and the fire damage is limited to that area.

"There is smoke damage so we might have to replace the curtains and carpets in the main clubhouse, but we've had the electrical engineer, a guy from the alarm company and the industrial cleaning contractor down to assess the damage.

"It could have been a heck of a lot worse. The fire brigade were absolutely excellent."

Shropshire Fire & Rescue Service sent two appliances from Bridgnorth and Much Wenlock, before two more were sent from Telford Central as well as the aerial ladder platform from Shrewsbury due to fears the blaze could escalate.

Crews used four sets of breathing apparatus, a main water jet and a hose reel jet to extinguish the fire by about 3pm, before later returning to the club to make further safety checks.