PORTAGE | Jackie Altizer's heart sank when she received a telephone call Monday night that something at the Steel Wheels BMX track was on fire.

She and husband, Ken, track operators, rushed to Imagination Glen Park to learn that the concession/restroom building constructed by volunteers was ablaze.

The fire was reported by a passer-by around 8 p.m. Monday, said Fire Chief Bill Lundy. By the time firefighters arrived at the track just off Ind. 149, the 20-foot by 40-foot wood building was engulfed in flames.

The department put out the fire in about 30 minutes. The wooden structure, along with its contents, was destroyed.

Lundy said the cause of the fire is under investigation, but at this point does not appear to have been deliberately set.

Altizer was puzzled as to what could have started the fire. The south end of the building, which sustained the most damage, housed a bicycle maintenance area. The kitchen and utilities were at the opposite end. There have been several incidents of vandalism reported at the park, but Lundy said the doors to the building were locked when firefighters arrived.

Volunteers were going to winterize the building this weekend. Luckily, said Altizer, they had already moved out expensive equipment when the track closed for the season and the program moved to the indoor track in Hobart. From spring to fall some 200 riders take part in practices and races at the outdoor track each week.

Altizer said the fire won't affect the program. She hopes they can rebuild the building which is owned by Portage's parks department. If they can't by next spring, they'll just do what they did when the track first opened -- operate out of canopies and a pop-up trailer.

Altizer said they might hold fundraisers to raise money to rebuild the structure.

The department struck a first alarm, calling in neighboring South Haven and Ogden Dunes departments to assist.