harsens island yacht club fire

VIDEO: Crews battle massive fire at homes on Harsens Island

(WXYZ) — Crews battled a massive fire at several homes on Harsens Island in Lake St. Clair Wednesday afternoon.

Photo courtesy Michael Krust

The police chief tells 7 Action News that six homes were destroyed. Cleanup efforts are underway.

Chopper 7 was over Lake St. Clair earlier. Check out the video below:

The homes appeared to be part of The Old Club.

According to the website, The Old Club is a resort and yacht club on the island, but it does not appear the fire affected the clubhouse, only cottages on the end of the island.

Video courtesy Michael Krust

Here are some images taken from the sky:

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Harsens Island fire destroys six homes, millions caused in damage

By Terell Bailey

March 8, 2023 / 11:04 PM EST / CBS Detroit

ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Fire teams throughout Metro Detroit raced to St. Clair County early Wednesday afternoon after several homes caught on fire. 

First responders throughout Harsens Island and St. Clair County traveled by ferry to battle a massive fire at The Old Club.  

With the location being surrounded by water, fire teams were able to utilize the lake's water. The homes were empty and no injuries were sustained. 

"We had water on all sides and our trucks can draft right out of the river," said Clay Township fire Chief George Rose.

The flames charred for hours, leaving barely anything left of the homes. Investigators on the scene say the homes were empty because they were seasonal homes. Many of them were built in the 1800s. 

What's left of the historic homes are stilts and ashes. The rest has simply sunk.

"The homes are built basically on stilts they sit over the water they are on the property. That's just how houses were built in those days," Rose said.

Crews spent Wednesday evening making sure hotspots were extinguished. 

Battling a fire in the winter can bring challenges for first responders. For those fighting fires on Harsens Island, the wind played a challenging role. 

"You're looking at a balloon construction once a fire gets going you're not stopping it. And the wind was quite a big factor in this too," Rose said.

It's unclear how the fire started, but police do not suspect foul play. Authorities believe the fire may have started from something electrical.

Currently, there is no price tag on the damage done to the homes. Chief Rose estimates the damage to be in the millions. 

Originally from Chesapeake, Virginia, Terell has had a passion for broadcast journalism since childhood. Growing up, throughout his schooling he was known for doing the "morning announcements." Fitting he became a TV journalist, right?

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Firefighters knock out blaze on Harsens Island

The fire that engulfed around six structures at the Old Club property on Harsens Island is out after crews from multiple jurisdictions responded Wednesday afternoon.

The fire was called in at 12:41 p.m.

Although the fire was extinguished within a couple of hours, Clay Township authorities reported hotspots were still being put out between 3 and 4 p.m. Some crews remained on scene after 6 p.m.

“It’s still under investigation," said Clay Fire Chief George Rose. "... I know there were some workers down here, working on one of the structures, so we’re going to check into that. We’re not sure what the cause was that started the fire at this time.”

Rose said their department got help at the scene from what he called "the south water crew," also including fire crews from Algonac, Ira Township, and Marine City, as well as additional support from St. Clair Fire, Chesterfield Fire, and Richmond Fire.

The response included a few fireboats, officials said.

Rose said there were no injuries as a result of the fire.

He said he believed “the wind kind of contributed to the factor of" how the fire spread between five or six structures.

According to the St. Clair County register of deeds, the property in the area affected is owned by the Old Club, which is currently closed for the season. It stretches down the southernmost end of Harsens Island along the St. Clair River and Big Muscamoot Bay.

A Clay Township police vehicle was at the Old Club entrance, 9900 S. Channel Drive, turning southbound traffic away from the area, shortly after 2 p.m.

Clay Township Police Chief Mike Koach said authorities intially closed the area because some sections of the property are narrow and connected only by small bridges, and with all the fire apparatuses on the scene, they were looking to prevent bottlenecks.

Harsens Island resident Janice Reha went to the Old Club site earlier Wednesday after she saw the smoke, arriving briefly before some authorities.

"They were huge," she said of the flames. "And billowing and billowing smoke. At first, I thought it was the phragmites burning."

A private resort, Reha said the site was known for being very nice. She echoed the comments on the fire on social media, calling it a tragedy.

According to its website, the Old Club has a decades-old history of bringing families and boaters to the island. It was founded in the late 19th century following the formation of a hunting and fishing club by a group of Detroit sportsmen, and by 1940, the Old Club was reachable by car when a bridge connecting the property to Harsens Island was completed. The club was also reportedly a stop for passengers of the Great Lakes Steamer, the Tashmoo, on its route between Detroit and Port Huron.

Representatives of the Old Club couldn't be immediately reached on Wednesday.

Reporter McKenna Golat contributed to this report.

Contact Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @Jackie20Smith.

Six Iconic Harsens Island Cottages Destroyed by Fire

Home » Six Iconic Harsens Island Cottages Destroyed by Fire

photo courtesy of the old club facebook

On March 8, a fire broke out on Harsens Island on Lake St. Clair, destroying six “candy colored” boardwalk cottages that were part of The Old Club, a historic resort and yacht club founded more than 150 years ago. Two additional homes also had extensive damage. No injuries were reported.

On Facebook, the club wrote: “The Old Club is devastated to see the most iconic and historic gems of Harsens Island, the candy colored boardwalk cottages that have stretched to the tip of the island for decades, succumb to destruction by fire… Six housing structures of historic significance that have long been family cottages were lost today. But, we intend to restore the property back to its historic charm.

The Old Club celebrated its 150th Anniversary last season and this unfortunate setback, while heartbreaking, will not deter us from continuing a century and a half of tradition.” The club is working with a team of environmental specialists to advise on clean up and to mitigate any environmental impacts of the fire.

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Crews battle massive fire at historic yacht club on Harsens Island

Six houses at the historic Old Club on Harsens Island caught fire on Wednesday.Harsens Island is located on the St. Clair River, and The Old Club has been a staple for almost 150 years.Facing Canada, The Old Club is a yacht club that was originally only available by a regular ferry service. According to the website, guests could get to the club in just one hour when they departed from Woodward Avenue.The original club had 26 boathouses and a clu…

VIDEO: Crews battle massive fire at homes on Harsens Island

Crews battled a massive fire at several homes on Harsens Island in Lake St. Clair Wednesday afternoon.

Crews battle massive fire on Harsens Island

Crews from St. Clair County are fighting a massive fire at multiple structures on St. Clair's Harsens Island on Wednesday.

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Fire engulfs the Old Club on Harsens Island

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Harsens island fire destroys 6 residences as responders battle geographic challenges.

There is a fire station on the island but reinforcements were needed from the mainland. Just getting across via ferry can make any response time feel like an eternity.

THURSDAY NEWS HIT - A fire on Harsens Island destroyed six homes Wednesday. 

The houses were vacant at the time because they are seasonal cottages that are part of The Old Club, a resort and yacht club on the island.

"It was a long response time because it was at the farthest end of our coverage area," said Timothy Kernen, a Clay Township firefighter. "So, it took me about maybe 20 minutes to get there, just got there and grabbed my pack and got a hose and started putting water on the fire."

The island is accessible only by ferry, making fighting the fire even more difficult.

"Unfortunately, when I got there, two of the houses were already fully involved. It just happened so fast," Kernen said.

The cause of the massive fire is now under investigation. Workers were performing maintenance on a barge earlier in the day, though it isn't known if that was linked to the fire.

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Six Cottages At The Old Club On Harsens Island Destroyed By Fire

A tragedy strikes the local community of Harsens Island in Clay Township, with the destruction of six cottages located on the property of The Old Club. 

On Wednesday, March 8th, a fire broke out which caused the destruction of six cottages located on the property. The homes are typically used as a summer vacation for those visiting the area.

There is currently no cause for the fire, as it is still undergoing investigation. There are currently no reported injuries in the incident and the Board of Directors are securing a professional team of environmental specialists to advise on cleanup to lessen the environmental impact of the blaze. 

The Old Club celebrated its 150th Year Anniversary last season, but the owners say they won’t let this setback deter them from continuing a century and a half of tradition.

Reporting for WGRT – Choze Powell

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Fire on Harsen's Island 3-08-202

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The Old Club Marina caught fire today on Harsen's Island. Looks like the clubhouse is a total loss on the pictures on line. Was on the news at 4:00 and they said 6 buildings were on fire. EDIT: Did not see the previous post about this. Sorry for a repeat on the subject!  

Crews battle massive fire at historic yacht club on Harsens Island

Looking at this video posted, it looks like the clubhouse is still there, untouched. Looked like some other fancy looking buildings were on fire. Were they the boathouses? Lots of damage from what the video shows.  

The homes near the clubhouse were all destroyed . I believe there were 5 units or so that are a complete loss. It will be on the news at 6 .  

Just Terrible.  

Welders on the barge ignited the boardwalk, cooked 6 cottages  

that's interesting, the welder said they were at lunch and were only moving things that morning.(no welding that day)  

Worked there for 5 summers clubhouse and kitchen are fine looking at pics just members houses burned sucks but should have been nobody in houses this time of year and those people can afford to have them kinds of problems and not even blink trust me they dont live like most of us do  

This, pretty exclusive place for sure.  

Speaking of island anyone know what the canals look like ? Rivers mud and **** runs down hill.. That sucks too. Sure they'll be right to building bigger and better. So long as know one was hurt.  

Canals are fishable  

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Authorities arrest 13 on private yacht for allegedly sparking devastating forest fire: 'We are outraged'

P eople continue to launch fireworks near highly flammable areas year after year — with disastrous results. And now, one group of firework-happy individuals on a private yacht in Greece are learning their lesson the hard way.

In June, 13 crew and seven passengers on a privately chartered yacht set off unauthorized fireworks from their ship. As far as officials can tell, the pyrotechnics then sparked a major forest fire on the island of Hydra, according to CNN . 

"We are outraged," Hydra Mayor George Koukoudakis said on state TV, per CNN. "If it's true, it is something that really saddens me."

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After another ship reported seeing the fireworks launch from the yacht, authorities met the passengers and crew at an Athens marina. There, they arrested the 13 crew members; however, all of the passengers quietly returned home the following morning, per the Maritime Executive.

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If the Greek yacht's crewmembers are convicted of arson, the Maritime Executive reports, they "could face serious penalties, including as much as 20 years of prison time." Hopefully their case deters the next group of would-be firestarters, and encourages a pyrotechnic-free vacation instead.

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Authorities arrest 13 on private yacht for allegedly sparking devastating forest fire: 'We are outraged' first appeared on The Cool Down .

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Crews battle massive fire at historic yacht club on Harsens Island

Six houses at the historic Old Club on Harsens Island caught fire on Wednesday. Harsens Island is located on the St. Clair River, and The Old Club has been a staple for almost 150 years.

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Sad Breaking Late News – Old Club On Harsen’s Island Fire

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Many of you who are regular readers no doubt know about the Old Club on Harsens Island near Algonac. This club has very deep roots in the Chris Craft universe, and there are countless stories of the Smith’s and other industrial giants of the day playing cards and taking time off there. The Firestones, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford to name drop. It’s a very special simple place, and every year opens its doors for the Algonac Gang to park and enjoy a wonderful breakfast. The coolest part of the club is that its on an island, and you need to get there by boat. Or a car, but need to ferry over to the island.

Chris Smith gave some wonderful talks there.

Now we are not going to talk about the fire, because we don’t have photos, they belong to others, but if you just google Old Club Fire, the internet is rich with images. Ugh. Sad, so very sad. This place is home to a many a photo taken for the old Chris Craft, and hopefully the homes will be rebuilt. The fire destroyed 6 homes, and two have extensive damage. No report on the club house.  Here is the story in the Detroit News

Sad to hear.

What a devastating loss. I had dinner tonight with a friend who lives on the island. She reported that the club house is ok.

What a shame. My wife and I still remember those houses.

The main club house is fine. The last six homes to the south were destroyed. So sad.

Just saw this., Very sad.. My sympathies to the people who lost their summer places. Also to the owners of the Old Club. A lot of memories went up in smoke.

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