Archers gym on the Gold Coast was torched by arsonists last night. The gym was a Gold Caost icon and had seen the likes of Arnold train there.
Sad state of affairs, why would anyone want to torch a gym?
GOLD Coast gym once visited by "Governator" Arnold Schwarzenegger has been hit by arsonists.
Archers Gym, a Southport health and fitness institution since 1970, was torched in the early hours of yesterday morning, with firefighters taking two hours to contain the blaze.
Surfers Paradise CIB boss John Hartwell said there appeared to be no chance of the fire being accidental.
"There are three separate locations where the fire has been lit and we have found two melted containers which possibly contained fuel," he said. "Definitely an accelerant has been used."
More than $200,000 damage was caused by the fire, mainly to gym and computer equipment, while structural damage to the two-storey commercial building, which also housed other businesses, was minimal.
Detective Inspector Hartwell said witnesses reported seeing a man in dark clothing carrying a torch, while another saw three youths riding from the scene on push bikes before the arrival of firefighters.
Archers Gym, called Bob's Gym when it opened in 1970, was a mecca for bodybuilders and played host to a visit from Arnie himself when he was at the peak of his bodybuilding powers in the early 1980s.
Investigations are continuing.
