LEWISTON – It was sweltering inside the Blue Elephant Lounge Friday night, where Detective Lee Jones was on duty to provide extra security.

“It had to be 100 degrees in there,” Jones said.

Maybe it was the heat, the alcohol, the crowd of 100 – police aren’t sure yet what exactly started it – but within minutes brawls erupted all over the nightclub.

All units on duty in Lewiston Friday night – 11 in total – were called in to the bar, and four were sent from Auburn to help quell the fighting. When all was said and done, eight people had been arrested, several groups had been pepper-sprayed and one man was Tasered while resisting arrest, Lt. James Minkowsky said Saturday.

The fighting started at around 12:30 a.m. Saturday.

“I was outside when it happened,” Detective Jones said. “I … walked in, and it was just bottles breaking, chairs smashing … it was just total chaos.”

Jones saw one man brandishing a barstool. A group behind him was fighting, too.

Not all the patrons were involved, but with the band taking cover and bartenders in the fray trying to break it up, “you couldn’t tell who was working and who was fighting,” Jones added.

In the end, Officer Eric Syphers brought his police dog inside to help clear out the bar, and eight people were arrested, most for disorderly conduct and failure to disperse, Minkowsky said.

Several of them were “highly intoxicated,” according to a report by responding officer Brian Beauparlant.

Police made the following arrests in connection with the brawl: Dana Rashawn Jones, 27, of 8 Vassar St., Boston, on a charge of disorderly conduct. Michael DeAngelo Lowery, 23, of 134 Pierce St. in Lewiston, on charges of disorderly conduct, failure to disperse and violating conditions of release. Anthony Williams Foster, 28, of 50 Fairmount St., Lewiston, on charges of refusing to submit to arrest and disorderly conduct. Hector Nunez Mendez, 24, of 61 Howard St., Lewiston, on charges of disorderly conduct and failure to disperse. Meagan Lever, 23, of 81 Marble St., Lewiston, on charges of disorderly conduct and failure to disperse. April Tarmey, 22, of 61 River St., Lewiston, on a charge of failure to disperse. Jeffrey Wright, 23, of 12 Carew Ave., Lewiston, on charges of disorderly conduct and failure to disperse.

The fighting was over by around 1:30 a.m., Minkowsky said. Neither police, nor brawlers reported any injuries.

Jones said the only things he saw damaged were the furniture and bottles at the Blue Elephant.

Calls to the lounge Saturday evening were answered by an automated message system, that said calls could not be received at that number.