A fire spread through the Columbia Court Club north of Hermiston Monday morning, bringing firefighters from around the region to douse the blaze that did massive damage to the city’s oldest health and fitness club.

Hermiston Fire Department first received a call of black smoke filling the Columbia Court Club building at 11:24 a.m.

Firefighters located a fire on the first floor near the women’s locker room, and the fire spread upwards to the second floor. Crews contained the fire within a half hour of the initial 9-1-1 call, but black smoke could still be seen coming from windows, doors and vents throughout the busy lunch hour.

Steve Watkinds, owner of Columbia Court Club since he established it in 1978, was repairing a drinking fountain toward the back of the building when the lights flickered and then turned off. Knowing there were people using the facilities, Watkinds used the light of his cellphone to look for club members and help them evacuate.

Mary Marsing, the office manager at the club, was sitting in her downstairs office when she heard popping noises coming from the upper floor. She heard a bang and smoke began rolling through the building. Marsing placed the call to 9-1-1.

“I love my job,” said Marsing, who has worked at the club for 26 years. “What do I do? (The fire) makes me sick to my stomach.”

According to Fire Chief Scott Stanton, the cause of the fire is still under investigation. Stanton said there was “significant fire and smoke damage as well as water damage.” He said the front end of the building as well as the upstairs had incurred the most damage and guessed the cost to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. More information on damage will be available after a more thorough assessment.

There were no reports of injuries to anyone who was at the court club when the fire broke out. One firefighter working on scene did experience a heat-related illness.

Crews from the Hermiston Fire Department as well as Echo, Irrigon, Stanfield and Boardman were involved in the firefighting efforts. Umatilla Electric Cooperative was brought in to shut down electric power to the building.

The fire also closed one lane of northbound traffic on Highway 395. Crews remained on-scene through the afternoon, but all lanes of traffic had reopened.