'A great deal of the club's history has been lost': Uphall Golf Club and its members react to the fire which devastated their clubhouse

Uphall Golf Club has lost “a great deal” of its history and members are “heartbroken” after a 12-hour blaze destroyed its clubhouse.
SFRS received reports of the blaze at 1.30 am.SFRS received reports of the blaze at 1.30 am.
SFRS received reports of the blaze at 1.30 am.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) sent ten appliances to the golf club at around 1.30am to tackle a blaze which officers described as “very serious” and “well-developed.”

The fire ripped apart the club’s roof and “gutted” its insides, according to one witness.

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It’s not yet known what caused the blaze, however, in a Facebook post published this morning, Uphall Golf Club said investigations are ongoing with an emergency meeting held within the club today to establish what caused this “horrible event.”

The aftermath of yesterday's fire at Uphall Golf Club, West Lothian (Photo: Emma Cassidy).The aftermath of yesterday's fire at Uphall Golf Club, West Lothian (Photo: Emma Cassidy).
The aftermath of yesterday's fire at Uphall Golf Club, West Lothian (Photo: Emma Cassidy).

In their post, the thanked the emergency services for working “tirelessly for hours on end” and commented that they now “look to the future” to start the next chapter of the club’s history as the blaze took away a “great deal” of its history.

The club will remain closed until a “safe routine for play” is determined.

A spokesperson posted: “It's now just over 24 hours since the devastating event that has seen our clubhouse destroyed.

"You will have no doubt seen many of the pictures of the effects of the fire, and, while we are extremely thankful there were no injuries or fatalities, we are saddened that a great deal of the club's history has been lost.

Fire which broke out at Uphall Golf CLub, West Lothian in the early hours of Saturday morning (Photo: Lisa Ferguson).Fire which broke out at Uphall Golf CLub, West Lothian in the early hours of Saturday morning (Photo: Lisa Ferguson).
Fire which broke out at Uphall Golf CLub, West Lothian in the early hours of Saturday morning (Photo: Lisa Ferguson).

"May we also take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to the emergency services who attended the scene and worked tirelessly for hours on end to bring the blaze under control.

"And so while work goes on to determine the cause of this horrible event, as a club we now look to the future and start the journey on the next chapter of the club's fine history.

"Many of the club's committee spent most of yesterday at the scene and are already working on plans to move forward.”

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Emma Cassidy, a member of Uphall Golf Club who has been playing on the course since 2016 said: “We are definitely heartbroken about our clubhouse and hope we can have it back up and running in the future.”

Ten fire appliances attended the scene yesterday and left at around 3.15pm the same day (Photo: Lisa Ferguson).Ten fire appliances attended the scene yesterday and left at around 3.15pm the same day (Photo: Lisa Ferguson).
Ten fire appliances attended the scene yesterday and left at around 3.15pm the same day (Photo: Lisa Ferguson).

The Uphall spokesperson added: "Our members’ safety is our top priority and that is why we would ask you not to visit the clubhouse area and car park until we can provide clear guidance for members.

"We will continue to provide updates via email and where we can on social media.”

The club also expressed their ‘immense gratitude’ for all the ‘kind words and offers of help and support’ they have received at this difficult time.

They concluded: “It's a great source of pride and motivation to us all to know that our club is so well regarded in both the local community and wider golfing community.

"We hope it won't be long before we can welcome you all back to create more wonderful memories.”

No casualties have been reported as a result of the blaze.

A spokeswoman from SFRS said investigations are ongoing into the cause of the fire.

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