Well-Known Gym Is Destroyed by Fire

SANTA MONICA — An early morning blaze Friday destroyed the Broadway Gymnastics School, a well-known local gym that has trained hundreds of local youths and some Olympic contenders, fire officials said.

The cause of the fire, which razed the single-story brick building in the 1600 block of 12th Street, is still under investigation, according to Fire Chief Ettore Berardinelli.

The fire was reported shortly before 3 a.m. and firefighters arrived to find the building already engulfed in flames. It was almost two hours before the fire was completely extinguished, and two adjacent buildings suffered slight damage.

The gym, which had operated for 22 years, was originally on Broadway. It moved to the current location 17 years ago and was known for helping to train many special needs students.