Popular Olympia jiu jitsu gym recovering after possible arson
Members of a popular gym in Olympia will have to find a place to work out, after a fire broke out on Sunday.
A group of people started a GoFundMe account to help the Brazilian jiu jitsu gym recover. As of early Monday afternoon, it had raised just over $10,000.
The GoFundMe post claims an arsonist broke into the gym and doused floor mats, a U.S. Special Forces flag, and a thin blue line flag with lighter fluid before setting them on fire.
Olympia Fire tells KIRO 7 that the cause of the fire is still under investigation. However, they point to the incident report that says the cause of the ignition was “intentional.”
The fire also spread to nearby mats.
Fortunately, says Hart, the building’s fire sprinklers went off and put the fire out.
But, the fire and water damaged the remaining mats and damaged the drywall.
Hart says the gym has about 300 members. It is visited by children, families, veterans, first responders and law enforcement.
The gym’s owners had general liability insurance, but arson isn’t recovered by insurance and will need to be paid out of pocket.
They hope to rebuild the gym, but the cost for replacing the floor and wall mats alone could cost up to $50,000.
