Frog Rock Golf and Country Club owner says he plans to rebuild after fire destroys main clubhouse
REAL TIME DURING THIS COMMUTE. NOW, NOW TO SOUTH JERSEY WHERE A GOLF COURSE CLUBHOUSE WITH A LOT OF HISTORY WAS LEFT GUTTED AFTER AN OVERNIGHT FIRE. IT TOOK HOURS FOR FIREFIGHTERS JUST TO GET THE UPPER HAND, AFTER FLAMES RIPPED THROUGH FROG ROCK GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB IN HAMMONTON. NEW JERSEY REPORTER RYAN HUGHES JOINING US NOW. >> Siafa: JOINING US FROM OUTSIDE OR NEAR THE CLUBHOUSE THIS EVENING WITH THE LATEST AND WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN NEXT. GOOD EVENING TO YOU, RYAN. >> Reporter: HEY, SIAFA, NATASHA, GOOD EVENING, THE FIRE CHIEF SAYS THE REMAINDER OF THIS BUILDING NOW HAS TO BE DEMOLISHED AFTER THOSE FLAMES CAUSED THE ROOF TO COLLAPSE, AND SOME OF THE WALLS TO CAVE IN. TAKE A LOOK AT THE EX EXTENSIVE DAMAGE OUT HERE. NOW, A WEDDING WAS PLANNED IN ABOUT TWO WEEKS AT THIS VENUE. SAN THIS CLUB HAS HAD SOME HIGH PROFILE GUESTS OVER THE YEARS. BUT THE OWNER TOLL ME TODAY, HE PLANS TO REBUILD AND REOPEN. >> IT IS ANOTHER KID FOR ME, IT IS ANOTHER PERSON. >> Reporter: ROCK SAYS HE POURED HIS BLOOD, SWEAT ANTERIORES INTO FROG ROCK GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB FOR NEARLY ZERO SIX YEARS. BUT TUESDAY, HE COULD ONLY WATCH AS FIREFIGHTERS RAISED TO SAVE THE FAMILY BUSINESS. AFTER FLAMES TORE THROUGH THE MAIN CLUBHOUSE AND BANQUET HALL AROUND 2:30 IN THE MORNING. >> MY DAUGHTER CALLED ME, SAID, DAG DAD, FROG ROCK BURNED DOWN. IT WAS 4:00 IN THE MORNING, ALL THE ELECTRIC WENT OUT IN THE HOUSE, WHAT? >> HEARING AN EXPLOSION, BY THE TIME FIREFIGHTERS ARRIVED, THE CLUBHOUSE WAS FULLY ENGULFED WITH FLAMES. THE CHIEF SAYS ELECTRICAL WIRES ALSO FELL, TORCHING AROUND GOFF CARTS PARKED OUTSIDE. >> WITHIN THE COURSE OF ABOUT AN HOUR WE HAD ABOUT 100 FIREFIGHTERS HERE. AND WE HAD UTILIZED ABOUT 18, 19 FIRE COMPANIES. >> Reporter: DRONE WATCH THREE SHOWS THE CHARRED WOOD AND COMPLETE DESTRUCTION. JEFF MITCH HAS BEEN GOLFING HERE FOR 15 YEARS. >> I GUARANTEE YOU, KNOWING ROCKY, HE’S GOING TO HAVE A TRAILER DOWN HEREBY THE ENDS OF THE NECK WEEK, AND WE WILL BE OPEN PLAYING NEXT WEEK SAYS SAYS FROG ROCK HAS A LOT OF HISTORY IN HAMMONTON. HE CAN REMEMBER JOE AND JILL BIDEN ATTENDING A EVENT AT THE CLUB IN THE 19 70S. AND HE SAYS HE HAD PICTURES HANGING INSIDE OF THE DAY PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN STOPPED AT RALLY IN HAMMONTON IN 1984. >> TOOK A PICTURE WITH HIM, MY PICTURES ALL BURNED UP IN THERE, RIGHT? >> AS WE COME BACK OUT HERE LIVE, THE ONAGAWA ERR SAYS HE’S HELPING THAT COUPLE WHO WERE SET TO GET MARRIED HERE FIND A NEW WEDDING VENUE. AND HE’S REFUNDING THEIR DEPOSIT. HE ALSO SAYS HE PLANS TO REOPEN THE GOLF COURSE, AS SOON AS HE CAN. HE’S TRYING TO BRING IN SOME TRAILERS, EVEN MENTIONED POSSIBLY OPENING BY TOMORROW, IF THAT CAN’T HAPPEN, HE SAYS, LATER IN THE WEEK. RIGHT NOW, INVESTIGATORS ARE WORKING TO DETERMINE EXACTLY WHAT CAUSED THIS FIRE, LUCKILY, NO ONE WAS INJURED OUT HERE. LIVE TONIGHT IN HAMMONTON, RYAN HUGHES, CBS
Rock Colasurdo says he poured his blood, sweat and tears into Frog Rock Golf and Country Club in Hammonton, Atlantic County, for nearly 60 years. On Tuesday, he could only watch as firefighters raced to save his family business as flames tore through the main clubhouse and banquet hall.
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