HUNTINGTON BEACH : $200,000 Damage in Medical Center Fire

Officials on Wednesday investigated the cause of a fire that broke out late Tuesday in a doctor’s vacant office on the fourth floor of the Huntington Beach Medical Towers.

No one was injured or evacuated from the fire, which city firefighters put out in 25 minutes. Investigators estimated that smoke and water caused $200,000 damage to the four-story building, owned by the Huntington Beach Medical Center.

Fire Inspector Donald Boland said investigators did not yet know the cause of the fire, discovered about 11:25 p.m. after an alarm alerted security guards. The building’s sprinkler system poured water over the flames and caused most of the water damage, he said.

Occupants salvaged equipment and paperwork Wednesday, and a medical laboratory had to shut waterlogged sections.

“We had quite a bit of water damage so we had to close the laboratory down,” said Claire Vliss, office manager at Medical Center Laboratory on the third floor. She said the laboratory was open to draw blood from patients, but not to test it.