Juday Creek clubhouse a pile of rubble, family plans to rebuild
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"My husband actually was getting up and ready to come to work, he's the golf course superintendent, and said, 'hey you might want to go check out, it looks like there's a fire in the neighborhood,'" said Michelle Wittig.
She made her way to the Juday Creek Golf Course.
"I got up at 5:50, headed over, sure enough, it was the clubhouse," Wittig said.
The clubhouse at the golf course she owns in part-- that her family built in Granger-- up in flames.
Wittig's mother is Republican State Senator Linda Rogers.
"It's not just to us, because this was something we built back in 1988, and lots and lots of memories. But we will start new memories. Even one of the firefighters said they were married here at the clubhouse," Rogers said. "It's kind of a neighborhood gathering place."
It was about 6 a.m. when a passerby alerted the Clay Township Fire Department.
"When we arrived, there was fire already coming through the roof of the building," said Chief Jaren Kilian.
The building, he said, did not have a sprinkler system, and he suspects the fire was burning long before they got the call.
"There was obviously advanced fire when we got on scene," he said. "So, we had to take control of a lot of the area roadways, because we're having to shuttle in water from-- oh my gosh-- all around the community."
Tankers coming from as far away as Howard Township, Michigan, Baugo Township in Elkhart County, and Cleveland and Madison Townships in St. Joseph County.
"There's been a lot of water we've had to bring on site shuttle water here, because there just isn't supplied water from a hydrant like you would have in another municipal system," Kilian said.
The fire was a tragic spectacle in the Juday Creek Estates neighborhood.
"It's amazing how many fire stations have come to help, and so we appreciate that," Wittig said. "All the neighbors that have wished us well. My phone is blowing up with texts from customers."
Firefighters braved Monday's intense heat, battling stubborn smoke and flames. Some told ABC57 the structure had collapsed in on itself, making it even harder to put out all the hotspots.
At about 1:30 p.m., crews started utilizing an excavator to tear down much of the building.
Now, all that's left is a shell of a building, and a plan to rebuild.
"Saw a lot of neighbors this morning. Obviously, they're very disheartened and disappointed. But they said, 'we watched this clubhouse get built, and we'll see the new one get built,'" Rogers said.
"We'll get a trailer and a tent, and we'll be back in business soon and keep moving forward," Wittig said.
One firefighter was mildly injured on scene, Kilian said, but was treated at the scene and then went right back to fighting the fire. Otherwise, there were no injuries reported.