Firefighters make quick work of fire in golf cart shed at Black Desert Resort

IVINS — A fire ignited in the temporary golf cart shed at the Black Desert Resort Wednesday morning, but a five-minute response from firefighters meant it wasn’t long before the fire was out. 

Smoke coming out of the temporary golf cart shed at Black Desert Resort, Ivins, Utah, Nov. 22, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Santa Clara-Ivins Fire & Rescue, St. George News

The fire was first reported at 9:18 a.m. and the first firefighters were on the scene at 9:23 a.m., Santa Clara-Ivins Fire & Rescue Chief Andrew Parker told St. George News. 

It proved to be somewhat of a dress rehearsal for Santa Clara-Ivins Fire & Rescue, who have been preparing and training for their responses to the resort when hundreds to thousands of visitors are expected to be on-site daily. For now, the resort is still mostly under construction. Three Santa Clara-Ivins fire vehicles converged on the site. Dammeron Valley and St. George fire departments assisted.

Santa Clara-Ivins police officers also responded.

There was smoke pouring out of the shed that houses the electric-powered golf carts. After putting out the initial flames, firefighters removed what looked like mostly burned cardboard boxes and other debris and put them on the asphalt outside for further dousing.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, Parker said.

“There were some plastic tables going and it sounds like it possibly might be electrical,” he said. “We have our investigator coming back out to investigate that, but we did have smoke showing from both sides and our crews made an aggressive attack.”

Debris taken out of a temporary golf cart shed during a fire inside at Black Desert Resort, Ivins, Utah, Nov. 22, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Santa Clara-Ivins Fire & Rescue, St. George News

Parker said as far as a first test of fire response to the resort, this would score an eagle in golf terms.

“We’ve been adequately prepared for sure with our staffing at this point,” Parker said. 

Santa Clara-Ivins Fire Marshall Con Fulde has been out at the resort multiple times each week of late, checking access points and water supplies to hydrants as the under-construction resort is in a state of change with what are dirt patches one day, and tarmac and buildings under construction the next. 

There was no apparent exterior damage to the long shed that had several vehicles of golfers parked next to it. There was damage to plastic tables inside, firefighters said. 

The shed is part of a temporary clubhouse for the resort’s golf course while the permanent one is under construction along with the hotel complex and a retail Boardwalk Village nearby. 

The course will be hosting its first PGA Tour event next fall and its first LPGA tour event the following spring. 

Adjacent to the shed are the exposed wooden frames of what will be an “active lifestyle village” at the resort. 

“There are some definite threats, like you can see over here this wood frame structure that’s up,” Parker told St. George News on-site, pointing to the under-construction village. “We have dirt roads, we have limited access, so we’re preparing weekly and just advising crews on best access points, what contents could be burning in here and we’re well prepared.”

By 9:50 a.m., firefighters were packing up. Before the top of the hour, the fleet of fire vehicles was departing in one direction and a fleet of golfers in their golf carts was heading in the other direction after a brief delay to their tee times. 

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