Investigators are still looking for the cause of a suspicious fire last night that gutted the abandoned Nipomo Recreation Center.

Fire officials said the damage to the building and surrounding area is estimated at $1 million, though that number has yet to be confirmed.

Authorities also are on the hunt for four teenagers suspected of starting the fire.

Cal Fire/San Luis Obispo County Fire Department spokeswoman Es Berliner said a witness reported seeing four teens wearing hooded sweatshirts flee area shortly before the flames erupted about 7 p.m.

Berliner described them as between 14 and 17 years old.

All four wore hooded sweatshirts. Two were reportedly wearing black T-shirts, while the other two were wearing white T-shirts, the fire official said.

Nipomo Recreation Association leased the site in 1985 and operated the recreation center, built with community donations, for more than a decade until the County Office of Education sold the 5.3-acre property to cash in on the skyrocketing value of the land.

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Property developer and center owner Ed Shapiro purchased the site in 2004 for $2.3 million to develop Nipomo Commons, and the center was to be converted to a health club as part of that development.

But the future of the building was left uncertain when Shapiro and his project partner Rob Marinai in March agreed to eliminate the health club from their development proposal to reduce the amount of water the project would require.

That allowed the Nipomo Community Services District to transfer part of the Nipomo Commons water allocation to Marinai’s proposed hotel across Hill Street to keep that project moving through the county approval process.

Investigators are asking anyone with information about the fire to call the Cal Fire tip line at 543-9643.