Sheriff: Workers maybe sparked country club fire with torch

By COREY WILLIAMS
Associated Press

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — Surveillance camera footage shows maintenance workers using a propane torch prior to a blaze that destroyed a century-old clubhouse at a suburban Detroit country club. The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said the Oakland Hills Country Club has estimated the loss of the clubhouse at about $80 million. Sheriff Michael Bouchard said Thursday that the footage appears to show the workers attempting to douse a small fire in a wall using a garden hose on Feb. 17. Bouchard says investigators could have a preliminary finding on the cause of the fire next month. He did not mention the possibility of criminal charges.