CHULA VISTA : Suspects Questioned in Health Club Fire

A Chula Vista health club slated to open in November was vandalized and set ablaze late Monday by someone who may have worked at the club site, fire investigators said.

The fire was reported at 11:18 p.m. at the Bonita Athletic Club, in the 600 block of Otay Lakes Road, investigator Joann VanBibber said.

Sprinklers in the building doused the fire and about 25 firefighters worked to mop up the blaze, which caused about $15,000 damage to rolls of new carpet inside the club. The structure wasn’t damaged, VanBibber said.

Graffiti was painted on the outside of the building and investigators believe arsonists entered the building through a window they broke.

“It was a lot of dirty words,” VanBibber said of the graffiti.

VanBibber said several suspects had been interviewed, and while it is not clear that the blaze was started by a former employee, there are reasons to believe it may have been.

The fire was started with some kind of flammable liquid, she said.

Michael London, the owner of the health club, said the community response in pre-opening member sign-ups has been very positive and the club will still open in November.

“We did talk to the Chula Vista Police Department about a past problem we have had. We don’t think it was a random act. It was a really malicious act,” he said.