Investigation continues into suspicious Hawthorne Country Club fire in Dartmouth

DARTMOUTH - A luxury home developer still has an agreement in place to purchase the old Hawthorne Country Club on Tucker Road despite a fire there Sunday afternoon.

With a reward of up to $5,000 being offered for information about the fire that caused extensive damage, state and local fire officials continue to ask the public for help.

An agreement is in place for Toll Brothers, a luxury home builder, to purchase the 56-acre property with a nine-hole golf course and country club at 970 Tucker Road.

Dave Bauer, the Toll Brothers division president in Massachusetts, confirmed Tuesday that there is still an agreement in place to purchase the property.

“We are currently in an agreement to purchase the property, but the transaction has not closed. Therefore, we are not the present owners of this property and we do not have any additional details on this incident,” he said.

“Our top concern is the safety of all involved, and we are grateful that there have been no reported injuries related to this incident, and that the fire was extinguished quickly thanks to the incredible work of firefighters.”

State, Dartmouth fire officials are investigating

Dartmouth Fire District 2, Dartmouth Police, and the State Fire Marshal’s office are seeking the public’s assistance.

The exact origin and cause of the fire in the abandoned country club building are still under investigation, according to Jake Wark, spokesman for the State Fire Marshal’s office.

Anyone with information on the fire, or who made observations in the area of the former Hawthorne Country Club on Sunday afternoon, is asked to share it with Dartmouth Police or the State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit at 978-567-3310.

Tips may also be called into the Arson Watch Reward Program at 1-800-682-9229. The Arson Watch Reward Program is coordinated by the Massachusetts Property Insurance Underwriters Association and offers rewards of up to $5,000 for information that helps detect or prevent arson crimes.

Ownership of the property under agreement

The property overlooking the Paskamansett Valley is listed at $3 million.

Property owner Bliss Investors LLC purchased the property in January 2021 for $2.3 million, according to an online database through the Dartmouth Assessor’s on the town website.

According to records from the Massachusetts Secretary of State, Stephanie DeMello of New Bedford and Ivonilde Hathaway of South Dartmouth are the managers of Bliss Investors LLC.

The Hawthorne Country Club closed in 2015. A news release issued at the time of the closing said it has “proved not to be economically viable” and the decision to close it was because of a “significant decline in golf interest and participation.”

Standard-Times staff writer Kathryn Gallerani can be reached at kgallerani@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @kgallreporter. 

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Tips sought for suspicious Hawthorne Country Club fire Sunday