Members mourn the loss of Sayles Hill Rod and Gun Club

NORTH SMITHFIELD, R.I. (WLNE) — Firefighters have been battling lingering hot spots and assessing the damage since a fire broke out at Sayles Hill Rod and Gun Club just before 1 a.m. Tuesday.

First responders faced major obstacles in getting the fire under control as flames lit the North Smithfield sky early Tuesday.

Fire crews arrived at the scene of the Sayles Hill Rod and Gun Club just after midnight, fighting a blaze that reduced the community staple building to dust and rubble.

First responders said the biggest challenge was accessing water.

“No municipal water here, so we had to call tankers from nearby communities, it took a while to set all that up,” said North Smithfield Fire Chief David Chartier.

“During the course of operations we had a couple of propane tanks that the pressure relief valves let go.”

The building was empty at the time and no one was hurt, but club members said the loss is still devastating.

“I’m crying inside, it’s gut-wrenching, but I know the membership that we have and the promise of the future,” said Club Treasurer Christopher Brooks.

The 25-year member said they’d recently poured $75,000 into renovating the club’s kitchen, a cost they don’t expect to recover fully.

“We just finished the kitchen, we really did, the 75k, we’ll never get back because you only have so much insurance on a building,” said Brooks.

A statement from the club reads in part:

Sayles Hill Rod and Gun Club has been incorporated since 1933. The fire Monday night was a devastating blow to our organization and our members.

We respectfully ask you to allow us to work with the appropriate officials to determine what happened.

In the meantime, members are left to mourn what’s been lost and look ahead to what’s next.

Road closures remain in place along Sayles Hill Road and Prince Road near the Eddie Dowling Highway while officials continue their investigation.