Wentworth Golf Club's president has labelled Saturday morning's fire, believed to have been caused by an electrical fault, as devastating, but has assured members the club will bounce back.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Fire and Rescue NSW duty commander Inspector Steve Evans said firefighters received the call at 1.40am and at lunchtime, they were were still attending hot spots.
"It took three hours to get it under control," he said.
"We had approximately 50 firefighters here throughout the night."
We were getting on track and we turned a profit last year - when something like this happens, it puts us right back.
- Wentworth president Simon Atkinson
Crews attended from Orange, Kelso and Bathurst, with assistance from the NSW Rural Fire Service.
Club president Simon Atkinson said he was on the scene just before 2am to see the fire burning on the western side.
"There was a concrete floor up that end and I thought they might be able to control it, but once it got into the roof structure, it went from one end to the other," he said.
MAP: Where is Wentworth Golf Club located ...
Mr Atkinson said the rest of the floor was timber and the gaming machines simply fell through - while the building was insured, he said 50 years of work from members had gone up in smoke.
"There have been many thousands of hours of work by members to raise funds and help in the construction of the clubhouse and the facilities and we can never get that back," he said.
The hardest of the losses were the trophies and honour rolls, although Mr Atkinson said records survived on some of them.
It has been a tough six years for the club - first with an armed robbery in 2013, followed by months of heavy rain in 2016, drought ever since and an attempted ATM robbery last year.
"We were getting on track and we turned a profit last year - when something like this happens, it puts us right back," Mr Atkinson said.
"It just gives you a sick feeling."
The pro shop escaped damage and there were no injuries during the incident.
The board held an emergency meeting on Saturday afternoon, resolving to get the club running and replace the clubhouse.
Mr Atkinson hoped to have members playing golf again by Saturday.
"Our biggest concern is getting golfers back on the course," he said.
Central West Police District Chief Inspector Scott Rayner said it was not being treated as suspicious. He said police believed the fire had been caused by an electrical fault but due to an access issue at the fire site they had not been able to confirm it.
DO YOU WANT MORE ORANGE NEWS?
- Receive our free newsletters delivered to your inbox, as well as breaking news alerts. Sign up below ...