Haverhill Health Club Fire Was Accidental, Started In Women's Locker Room

HAVERHILL (CBS) - A huge fire that destroyed part of a popular health club in Haverhill last week was accidental, the state fire marshal said Thursday.

The fire at the Cedardale Health and Fitness Center on Boston Road in the early morning hours of March 1 caused up to $5 million in damage, State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey said in a statement.

It started in the women's locker room.

"Inside the locker room there were several possible ignition sources for the fire, such as electrical wiring, small appliances, or light fixtures, but there is not sufficient evidence to point to one over the other as the most likely cause of this accidental fire," Ostroskey said.

A maintenance worker was the only person in the complex when the fire started.

No one was hurt.

It took firefighters four hours to fully extinguish the flames.

The fire marshal said there were no sprinklers in the building.

Basketball courts, food and beverage areas, locker rooms, an indoor pool, and a nursery were damaged in the fire.