Fire, possibly electrical, breaks out in gym

A crowd of disappointed fitness buffs stood outside 24 Hour Fitness Sport in Costa Mesa in the drizzling rain after being evacuated from the gym due to what authorities think was an electrical fire Friday morning.

Power went out around the whole area surrounding the downtown building at West 19th Street and Park Avenue, and officials say the incidents may be connected, but weren’t sure which caused the other.

People saw smoke billowing out from an air duct just before noon. Then the power went out, came back on and went out again, at which point staff told everyone to leave, according to witnesses.

“We think it may have been an air-conditioning unit,” said Battalion Chief Kevin Diamond.

“People were pretty [ticked] off that they couldn’t work out,” Paula Hateley said.

The fire did create a cloud of thick, foul-smelling smoke that permeated the building, witnesses reported. Fire officials said they had the situation well under control before noon.

— Alan Blank