New report: One firefighter injured in gym fire, cause undetermined

LACONIA — One firefighter was injured in a fire at a fitness center which involved the collapse of the roof into their large pool early on Wednesday morning, according to the Laconia Fire Department. The firefighter sustained a minor injury when a portion of the ceiling collapsed, and was treated at the scene and is already back to work.

The future of operations at The Wellness Complex, a gym and fitness center on North Main Street, is unclear, but gym manager George Kalil said they’ve stopped drawing membership fees and they’re working with insurance companies to see what they can do to assist their employees.

Firefighters were on scene just 1 minute after the alarm notification, according to a report from Chief Tim Joubert. The downtown fire station is directly across the street from The Wellness Complex and responding fire companies could immediately observe heavy smoke emanating from the roof of the large commercial building.

Laconia 13 Engine 1 initiated an aggressive interior attack, according to the report. Those firefighters experienced limited visibility within the building with heavy fire in the rear roof section. Because of deteriorating conditions, those firefighters were ordered to leave the building and more support was requested.

The bulk of the fire was burning above an Olympic-sized swimming pool inside the building and firefighters began performing defensive operations. Laconia 13 Ladder 1 and Meredith 14 Ladder 1 were set up and used to extinguish visible flames from the roof and prevent the fire from spreading. A labor-intensive process to open the roof to gain access to the fire was initiated. Firefighters discovered the roof structure over the pool consisted of several layers of wood, shingles and metal, which made it difficult to access all of the areas where the fire was located. The walls supporting the roof were block construction, limiting access to the fire from the exterior walls. 

Firefighters remained on scene for several hours, overhauling the area in search of any hidden fire.

“Everyone on the scene worked extremely hard, and we really appreciate the help from our neighboring departments,” firefighter J.P. Mikus said, adding they’d still be working to extinguish the fire were it not for assistance provided by other departments.

The pool area of the building is considered to be a total loss and there is significant smoke and water damage throughout the rest of the building. The cause of the fire is under investigation but is not considered suspicious. 

Laconia companies, along with Gilford, Belmont, Meredith, Tilton-Northfield, Franklin, Sanbornton, Lakes Region Mutual Fire Aid, Spears Brothers and the Laconia Police Department assisted at the scene. Gilmanton, Center Harbor, and Meredith EMS provided station coverage, Joubert wrote in his report. 

“As far as the incident goes, unfortunately we don’t have many details yet,” Kalil said on Friday afternoon.

Kalil said he wasn’t sure if there were any electric utilities located in the portion of the roof that burned and he doesn’t believe any electrical or HVAC work was done there recently. 

But membership fee drafts are on pause for now, he said, and gym officials want to have the complex reopen. 

“We hope to reopen, we’re going to do anything we can,” he said. “We’ll have to see how this all plays out.”

The timing of the fire makes communicating with insurance companies difficult due to the holidays, he said, but they’re working to do anything they can to support their employees in the meantime. 

“We’re doing anything we can for them.”