Watertown and Belmont Firefighters doused a fire at the Oakley Country Club which could have been worse if the building did not have fire sprinklers.
Just after 5 a.m. on Friday, the Watertown Fire Department was alerted of activation of the smoke detectors and sprinklers at Oakley, said Watertown Fire Chief Ryan Nicholson.
Because of the location of the country club on Belmont Street a fire engine from Belmont was dispatched, Nicholson said, and the crew found heavy smoke inside the building.
Deputy Fire Chief Arthur Geswell ordered a “Working Fire,” and fire companies found the fire was contained to one room, Nicholson said. They extinguished it and were able to stop it from spreading.
“This was a terrific example of how important sprinkler systems are in containing fires and protecting life and property,” Nicholson said. “Without a fully functioning sprinkler system this fire likely has a very different outcome.”
No injuries were reported.
“We thank our mutual aid partners: Belmont for their support on scene and Cambridge, Waltham, and Newton for providing station coverage during the incident,” Nicholson said.
The origin and cause of the fire remain under investigation.