An early morning fire tore through a privately owned office building near the Teton Pines clubhouse in Wilson on Monday, leaving much of the structure heavily damaged and sending smoke drifting across the golf course and surrounding neighborhood for hours.
Teton County dispatch received the first report around 3 a.m. Monday, Jackson Hole Fire/EMS reports. By the time firefighters arrived, flames were already moving through the upper part of the building.
Crews from Jackson Hole Fire/EMS and Teton Village Fire Department spent hours fighting the blaze while ladder trucks sprayed water onto the roof from above, the agency said.
One firefighter was hurt during the response and taken to St. John’s Health in stable condition. No other injuries were reported, the report says.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Smoke, Sirens And A Burned-Out Roof
Photos from the scene shared by Jackson Hole Fire/EMS show flames punching through the roofline while thick smoke rolled from the upper floor and attic area.
Later aerial images show the extent of the damage.
Large sections of the roof had burned away, exposing blackened rafters and parts of the upper floor as firefighters continued working hot spots into the afternoon.
Forrest Sandberg, facility maintenance director at Teton Pines Country Club, said the building that burned was not the clubhouse itself, but a privately owned office building nearby.
He arrived for work around 7 a.m. and found crews already battling the fire.
“The east and west cupolas and the center of the building are badly burned,” Sandberg said.
By around 11 a.m., the fire had mostly been knocked down, though crews stayed on scene well into the day.
‘People Lost Irreplaceable Things’
Sandberg said watching the building burn was hard because he knows some of the tenants and office workers who used the space.
“People lost memories and irreplaceable things,” he said.
Sandberg worked as a firefighter himself for about 15 years and said the scene was not unlike others he had seen over the years. Still, that did not make it easier to watch as the damage unfolded.
Emergency vehicles remained parked around the building Monday as crews continued overhaul operations and checked for remaining hot spots.
Officials reported the fire stayed contained to the single structure, and no evacuations were ordered.
Several agencies helped during the response, including Lower Valley Energy, the Aspens Water and Sewer District and the Good Samaritan Mission, which brought food and water to firefighters working the scene.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
