Two-alarm fire heavily damages Union Township golf course

March 27--A two-alarm fire heavily damaged a maintenance garage at Blackwood Golf Course in Union Township, destroying about $1 million in equipment.

Firefighters were called out just before 2 p.m. to battle the blaze at 510 Red Corner Road.

"When we started responding, we got reports of a building fully involved," said Vern Kulp, a Birdsboro firefighter who took command of the scene. "There are no hydrants out here so we had engines go to a (nearby) pond to establish a water supply."

Kulp said the firefighters had to use foam to help put the fire out.

The owner of the golf course, Custy Nairn, 56, used a tractor to pull down the still smoldering walls to reach the burned equipment after the fire was extinguished.

The 75-foot-by-30-foot maintenance facility contained "everything we need to run the place," Nairn's son, C.J., said. "All of our mowers, tools. We had 50 to 70 pieces of equipment inside and four fully furnished toolboxes."

Nairn reported the building as a total loss to his insurance company, and C.J., 18, said the damages amounted to about $1 million.

The golf course, built by Nairn's father in 1969 and running since 1970, runs between Good Friday and late October, or later, depending on the weather, C.J. Nairn said.

"Considering the nice weather will be here in a few weeks, it will set us back," C.J. Nairn said of the fire. "Lawn and Golf in Phoenixville will loan us some equipment which will get us by until we can restore some (of our) equipment."

Custy Nairn and his son were in the building 15 minutes before the fire broke out, and there were no lights, heaters or electric items on, according to C.J. Nairn. He said the fire most likely started in the garage attached to the building.

They discovered the fire when they smelled smoke while working on the mini-golf course a short way from the building.

This fire will not affect the start of the season, C.J. Nairn said.

"It's just time to rebuild," he said. "What can you do."

Firefighters from Exeter, Twin Valley, Birdsboro and Amity responded to the fire. About 60 firefighters were on scene, according to Kulp.

No injuries were reported in the fire.

Contact Rochel Leah Goldblatt: 610-371-5024 or rgoldblatt@readingeagle.com.

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