The fire started in the chef's office next to an upstairs kitchen area but investigators could not determine exactly what happened, said Robert McWhorter, chief investigator with the Perry-Clear Creek Fire Department.
He said investigators learned that someone had been smoking in the chef's office and believed that the fire might have started after someone dumped an ashtray into a trash can.
Two club members and one employee were at the country club on the city's south side when the fire was discovered Sunday night, he said. But it started around closing time, and other employees were in the building shortly before the fire broke out.
``From the time the employee first smelled smoke till when he actually discovered the fire, there was a large time lapse - several minutes - which greatly contributed to how fast the fire traveled and the damage done,'' McWhorter said.
The fire, which caused a glow that could be seen from miles away, destroyed about two-thirds of the building and caused major smoke and water damage in the areas that remained standing.
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