Though no major damage was done to State Gym during Sunday’s sauna fire, the smoke lingers in the cavernous rooms, and Recreation Services Director Michael Giles is asking fitness enthusiasts for patience and understanding. 

After 10:30 Sunday morning when smoke alarms detected smoke, State Gym was evacuated. Giles said the fire started in the sauna in the men’s locker room, and he suspects it started because of a wiring malfunction in the bottom of the more than six-foot wooden sauna.  

Though no parts of the sauna can be salvaged, Giles said that two sprinklers above the sauna activated by the heat of the fire helped dampen it until the Ames Fire Department extinguished the flames. It took about three hours to clear the building of smoke that filled every room.

The real issue is the linger smoke and soot. It’s not a quick fix, he said. 

“With the level of smell inside that building, it would be hard to get a good work out in. We are asking for patience and understanding,” Giles said. “I get it. No one is more of a routine nut when it comes to working out than me.” 

The lockers in both the mens and women’s locker rooms will both need to be cleaned out, and students will be notified when they can come pick up their belongings. 

While the smoke smell is not overpowering, the environment is still not conducive to a workout that requires deep breaths. 

“The fire in and of itself is not why we can’t reopen the building,” Giles said. “It’s the after effects of the fire. It’s the smoke. I can’t get the taste out of my mouth. We have to get the odor out of the building, at least to a reasonable level.”

Every material and surface must be cleaned, including: carpets and curtains must be shampooed, all hard surfaces and equipment must be wiped.

Giles said the one silver lining is that most of the intramural sports are already over, so they will not need State Gym’s facilities. Group fitness classes will be more limited, though, he said.

State Gym will be closed until further notice, and Giles said he has no guess as to how long the cleaning company, Service Master, will need to clean all the smoke residue. Beyer Hall and Lied Recreation Center will remain open. 

“We will do the best we can in the quickest way possible,” Giles said.