The Dignity Health Lab in Morro Bay is closed after a fire broke out in a neighboring office last month.
The fire took place on the morning of Dec. 4, 2025, in what used to be Dignity Health’s old lab before they moved to a different office in the front of the same building at Morro Ave. and Pacific St.
Kris Kolb’s parents own the property that Dignity Health rents. He said it's believed that bad wiring is what caused the sparks.
KSBY spoke to Morro Bay Fire Chief Daniel McCrain and he said that there was damage to the plumbing and electrical system of the building that needed to be assessed before the lab could reopen.
“We did a walk-through with the fire chief and from all the evidence suggests that the fire started up high and worked its way down," Kolb said.
The fire caused smoke damage to the lab, forcing it to temporarily close according to a Dignity Health spokesperson.
Mary Kedzior is a Morro Bay resident and was hoping the lab would be open Tuesday so she could get some tests done.
“Well, last month I showed up and I saw that there was fire damage and there’s a note to go to Los Osos, so I went to Los Osos and waited almost an hour and a half,” Kedzior said.
She said she was heading to the Los Osos location once again to get her tests done.
“Hopefully, today, I’ll get the labs that I need," she said.
Dignity Health said it hopes to open the lab as soon as possible.
"Dignity Health is committed to reopening its Morro Bay lab draw location as soon as possible. In the meantime, patients can go to the Dignity Health Los Osos Lab on Los Osos Valley Road which has extended its hours from 7am-3pm Monday thru Friday. Another option is the San Luis Obispo Dignity Health lab location in the Marigold Center on Broad Street. For other Dignity Health lab draw sites, visit the Dignity Health Central Coast website [dignityhealth.org] or call (855)586-7660," said a Dignity Health spokesperson.
“We’re going to do some exploratory searching within the interior of the wall, opening up some of that drywall... plaster actually, probably what it’s made out of. It’s an older building and you know, just seeing evidence," Kolb said. "We’re looking for evidence of smoke.”
The lab was cleared to reopen once the water is restored and they are satisfied with the smoke odor mitigation that is being conducted, but the space adjacent that actually caught on fire will have to be inspected before it can be utilized again, according to McCrain.
Kolb said that they won’t know the extent of the smoke damage until they start breaking stuff down, meaning the timeline for reopening is dependent on the amount of smoke damage that is found.
