SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – A fire broke out at a Midway District gym Thursday morning, prompting a large firefighter response and the evacuation of a hotel next door.
San Diego Fire-Rescue Department crews were called to the Victory MMA and Fitness facility on 3666 Midway Drive just before 6:45 a.m. due to a reported fire in the building.
SDFD officials said crews arrived at the scene and saw heavy smoke coming from the building’s second floor.
Officials noted everyone that was inside the building got out before firefighters arrived, including Dennis Gonzales, who was on the first floor working out when the fire started.
"I was running on the treadmill," Gonzales said. "Somebody tapped me on the shoulder because I had my headphones in, and they said, 'Hey there's a fire'. I was like, 'Oh no my stuff's upstairs.'"
Dean Lister, the head jiu-jitsu coach, said the smell of smoke woke him up, as he was sleeping in his apartment connected to the upstairs gym.
"Smoke got pretty bad. You couldn't even see in front of your face," Listor said.
Lister said on the second floor is where the training center holds jiu-jitsu and wrestling classes. Now, he will have to figure out when and where to move them to.
Authorities at the scene told the ABC 10News Breaking News Tracker that occupants in the Wyndham Hotel directly next door were evacuated as a precaution.
Due to the fire response, SDFD officials said Midway Drive was closed in both directions between Kemper and Duke streets.
As of 7 a.m., firefighters were still at the scene working to extinguish the flames shooting through the roof.
