PHOTOS BY JOHN ODEGARD

July 28—A second alarm was called for a fire at the former “Rick’s Strip Club” located in 11300 block of Lake City Way Northeast. Minutes after 7pm Thursday, a 9-1-1 call came from a neighboring carwash reporting heavy smoke pouring from the roof of the one story structure.

Engine 39 arrived first to find heavy dark smoke pouring from the building and flames shooting from the roof. Firefighters had to make a forced entry because the doors of the club were locked. Once inside, the firefighters say the smoke was so thick they could not see. Crews mounted an aggressive attack.

Firefighters from Ladder 5 took to the roof and cut holes to release the hot smoke and fumes from the fire. The roof showed signs of weakness so the incident commander called a second alarm to bring in additional resources to battle the fire. It took 45 minutes to extinguish the flames.

The fire caused extensive damage to the ceiling and wall of the building. Investigators estimate the damage at 500 thousand dollars to the structure and 150 thousand dollars to the contents.

No one was inside the club at the time of the fire. The owners told investigators that electrical workers and painters were inside earlier in the day. The cause of the fire is accidental and the investigator says the most likely cause is electrical.

There are no reported injuries.