VIDEO, PHOTOS: Fire destroys Bay Indies clubhouse

Venice firefighters were called out at 5:07 a.m. and were on scene about five minutes later, he said. The clubhouse was fully involved when they arrived, he said.

Firefighters from the Nokomis Fire Department were second on scene, he said, and Sarasota County rescue unit also responded to the blaze at 950 Bay Indies Blvd.

“That’s the beauty of mutual-aid agreements,” Giddens said.

The firefighters were able to bring the fire under control and keep it from spreading, which was an “impressive” feat considering the proximity of other buildings, he said.

Unlike in Country Clubs Estates, where a lack of hydrants hindered the effort to contain a fire during Hurricane Ian, there are hydrants “all over” Bay Indies, Giddens said.

The only other building that may have sustained damage from the fire is a home several blocks south on Questa Avenue. It could have been caused by a wind-blown ember, he said, but that hasn’t been determined.

“The female occupant of the manufactured home evacuated safely and called 911,” a city news release states.

The home had reportedly recently been reroofed due to damage from Hurricane Ian. A Venice Police officer was keeping an eye on it Wednesday morning.

Several state fire marshals were on site Wednesday afternoon, and Giddens was hopeful the cause of the fire would be known later in the day.

Firefighters were still on scene Wednesday afternoon, extinguishing hot spots, he said, and would remain until they were certain the fire was out.

The clubhouse had been the site of a community dinner Tuesday night, which led a resident to speculate that the fire might have resulted from a still-smoking cigarette.

But another resident said she’d been told all the trash from the dinner had been bagged and removed.

Most of the residents looking at the burnt-out hulk of the clubhouse Wednesday morning said they had been unaware of the fire until word started spreading in the community.

Tom Kelly said he didn’t hear the emergency vehicles go past his home south of the clubhouse, finding out about it on a social media post.

Dale Jacobs said she was up when the fire was discovered. She’d heard fire trucks, she said, but only learned about what was burning from a neighbor who called to warn about the risk of embers due to a northerly wind.

Besides being the site of community events, Bay House also hosted art classes and was home to the community’s library and Bay Indies Evangelical Covenant Church.

It had recently been reroofed, a resident said, and had the bathrooms and decking redone.

“Our hearts and prayers go out to the community,” Giddens said.