Arson possible cause of downtown Aurora fire

A late afternoon fire severely damaged a historic gym in downtown Aurora Monday, filling the sky with black smoke and forcing police to shut down blocks of traffic.

Firefighters arrived at the vacant three-story Frantz Gym, 62 S. Broadway, and found heavy smoke and flames inside, said Aurora Fire Department Batallion Chief Don Jackson.

“Once we got into it, we had a lot of concealed fire,” Jackson said. “We pulled the interior crews out for safety concerns.”

After about 20 minutes of working on the exterior of the building constructed of heavy timber, firefighters headed back inside and were able to bring the flames under control by about 4:20 p.m., fire officials said.

An early investigation suggests the fire may have been an arson, according to fire officials. The Aurora Police Department, the Aurora Fire Department arson investigation team and the state fire marshal’s office were called to the scene Monday night to investigate.

“We are looking down in the subbasement at this time,” Jackson said.

By the time the fire was extinguished, the basement and fire floor were heavily damaged, but Jackson said the building is not a complete loss.

An employee at a neighboring business was the first to smell the smoke and dialed 911 at 3:06 p.m., according to authorities. An Aurora police officer nearby was the first on the scene and radioed in a call for a full response with about 35 firefighters and department staff at the scene.

The building was owned by Ernie Frantz, who is considered one of the greatest power lifters of all time, but was for sale.

A damage estimate was not available Monday night.