A fire of unknown origin spread through a maintenance building at shuttered Warner Springs Ranch Resort Tuesday, causing an estimated $100,000 worth of damage.
The non-injury blaze in the 2,500-square-foot metal-walled structure in the 31600 block of state Route 79 erupted shortly before 8 a.m., according to Cal Fire.
It took crews about 40 minutes to subdue the flames, which also blackened a patch of adjacent grassy terrain, said Mike Cornette, a fire captain with the state agency.
The blaze damaged about one-quarter of the large multi-room shed and destroyed some of the golf-course landscaping supplies and equipment it houses, Cornette said.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
The back-country resort — which opened as a vacation attraction in the 1920s on the 2,400-acre former grounds of a cattle ranch that had been in operation since the mid-1800s — went into bankruptcy and closed 11 years ago.
At the time, it comprised a 27,000-square-foot main lodge, 250 guest cottages, a 144-acre golf course, a clubhouse, four tennis courts, equestrian facilities, two restaurants, a spa, campgrounds, three swimming pools, a private airport and meeting facilities.
In 2013, a San Diego-based hotel-management company bought the property and announced plans to thoroughly renovate and reopen the resort to the public. However, despite some partial reopenings, it has mostly remained closed since.
Updated at 8:05 p.m. Sept. 12, 2023
–City News Service