Firefighters Battle Major Blaze at Thomson Country Club

Firefighters from multiple departments battled a blaze in the Thomson Country Club maintenance garage early Saturday morning.

North Reading Fire Department responded to the country club shortly after 2 a.m. Saturday after receiving multiple 911 calls about a major fire and explosions in the Elm Street area, according to North Reading Police.

The maintenance garage was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters and police arrived. While firefighters faced “heavy fire conditions,” police officers notified nearby homes of the fire and potential for secondary fires, said police.

North Reading Fire Chief William Warnock said firefighters from Middleton, Wilmington, Reading, Lynnfield and Wakefield helped North Reading firefighters. Warnock said the mutual aid from the nearby communities was vital in extinguishing the fire.

The North Reading Department of Public Works also helped with heavy construction equipment, and the Reading Municipal Light Department and North Reading building inspector were also on the scene, according to police.

There were no injuries. The Fire Department didn’t give an estimate of damage, but did say the garage housed about $1 million worth of golf course maintenance equipment.

The explosions heard by residents were likely maintenance equipment tires expanding from the high heat and exploding, said police.