Fire closes gym

MONTROSE — The Colorado Bureau of Investigation was probing the cause of an early-morning fire that gutted the Montrose Athletic Club Wednesday.

The agency's accelerant-sniffing dog arrived Wednesday afternoon, along with investigators who are assisting the Montrose Fire Protection District and Montrose Police Department.

Flames erupted at the Apollo Road business at 12:43 a.m. Wednesday. Club owner Mead Serra got the news when a sheriff's deputy pounded on his door at 1 a.m.

"I feel terrible for everybody," Serra said as he surveyed the building's charred brick exterior later Wednesday. "This is going to bother them (even) more than me. I don't have any answers. They're not telling me anything."

Montrose fire crews responded to the MAC after reports of a fire with an explosion came in.

Flames were shooting through the club's roof when crews arrived, the fire district said.

According to the district's incident report, firefighters encountered heavy smoke, intense heat and no visibility upon entering the main entrance.

On the upper floor, they cooled and knocked down flames behind the reception area wall, but because the rest of the floor had collapsed, they could not continue.

Crews were able to extinguish fire found on the lower floor.

Though the cause of the fire wasn't known Wednesday afternoon, fire chief Bob Pistor said it was considered suspicious. "But that doesn't mean arson. It just means suspicious," he said. "That's why we brought CBI in, to do a thorough investigation."

Aerobics instructor Kristy Barrett found out about the fire when someone telephoned her. Her job of more than 20 years was up in smoke.

"I got a phone call saying 'You don't have a job today, or for a while,'" Barrett said, while surrounded by a group of her students outside the MAC. "I guess it's pretty bad in there."

The fire district's report said the building was valued at $1.5 million and sustained an estimated $500,000 in damage. Its contents were valued at $500,000 and the estimated loss there was $250,000.

Serra said he was insured.

"I really hate to see them losing their business," Montrose Police Cmdr. Keith Caddy said. "It's a shame."

A fire at the MAC last June caused about $50,000 in damages. It originated in the gym's sauna.