Officials with the Phoenix Fire Department are investigating the cause of a fire at the Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course.
Crews responded to the blaze in the course’s clubhouse at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday night. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined but officials say it impacted the course’s abandoned clubhouse building, which was completely engulfed in flames by the time crews arrived.
Reda Bigler, Phoenix Fire Department spokeswoman, said this fire posed a challenge to crews because available fire hydrants were far from the blaze.
"We were also only able to set up ladder pipes on two sides of the building and usually we like to get all four," said Bigler.
No injuries were reported.
The Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course has been closed since 2013 and at one point was at the center of a rezoning battle among area residents who disagreed on how the property could be used.
Phoenix City Councilman Sal Diciccio said he plans to ask the city manager to look into the possibility of charging the golf course owner, True Life Companies, for the cost of putting out the blaze.
"They had been warned repeatedly that this place had concerns and was a potential hazard and took very few steps to remediate it," said Diciccio.
True Life Companies has released a statement in response to his claims, saying Diciccio is "jumping to conclusions." According to the statement, True Life officials say they've long worked with the City of Phoenix to remain in compliance with the Neighborhood Preservation Ordinance and to keep the property properly maintained.
