Crews battle massive fire at historic yacht club on Harsens Island

HARSENS ISLAND, Mich. – Six houses at the historic Old Club on Harsens Island caught fire on Wednesday.

Harsens Island is located on the St. Clair River, and The Old Club has been a staple for almost 150 years.

Facing Canada, The Old Club is a yacht club that was originally only available by a regular ferry service. According to the website, guests could get to the club in just one hour when they departed from Woodward Avenue.

The original club had 26 boathouses and a clubhouse and was built in 1872. The club then acquired tennis courts in 1912, and then the “Ritz” was built in 1917 for members who wanted to spend the night at The Old Club. By 1924, the club began to build a golf course and nine holes were built within three years.

A bridge was built in 1940 to allow cars onto Harsen’s Island and by then, The Old Club property was then completed, according to the club’s website.

Read: 🔒 The complicated history of Michigan’s Harsens Island

This isn’t the first fire on the island. In 2013, there was a large brush fire that took place on the island. You can read about that here.

Drone photos and videos of the scene can bee viewed below.

This story will be updated when more information is available.