A raging fire ripped through the vacant old Escondido Country Club Wednesday morning, sending plumes of thick smoke into the air, visible from miles away.
The flames engulfed the building at West Country Club Lane and Golden Circle Drive at around 5:20 a.m. Quickly, the blaze escalated to a two-alarm fire and more crews were called to battle it. The fire caused part of the roof to collapse on the south side of the building and, due to safety issues, fire crews were not able to enter the building to tackle the flames from inside.
Using three trucks and ladders, firefighters doused the roof. It kept burning.
At one point, firefighters feared they were running out of water. The water department was asked to increase water pressure so crews could continue working.