August 4, 2026 — 8:31amA gym in Taylors Lakes has been set alight while a cleaner was still inside in a suspected arson attack overnight on Tuesday.Two people were working out when a pair of masked men broke into the business and began pouring petrol on the floor at about 3.30 am. They warned the gym goers to leave, who then called the police.Police are investigating after a gym was set alight in Taylors Lakes this morningEddie JimThe cleaner, who was upstairs at the time Genesis Health and Fitness Taylors Lakes was set alight, managed to escape without injury, Victoria Police said.“I believe he [the cleaner] escaped through the fire to come out,” one of the gym owners, Anna Chaviaras, told ABC Radio Melbourne.“[It] really is a shock; we don’t know why they would do this to our gym. This is not something very common in the Taylors Lakes area either.”The masked men fled the gym, which is next to a petrol station, in a vehicle waiting outside.“We’re baffled,” one of the gym’s owners George Markakis told The Age, “[It] puts a bit of fear into [the community], it’s not something that would happen here, it’s an affluent area.”“I’m glad they’re safe,” Markakis said of his employee and the patrons who were forced to flee the arson attack, “The gym has insurance, their lives are more important.”Police said the building sustained “significant damage” and that investigators were treating it as a targeted attack.Firefighters were able to get the fire under control in less than 30 minutes.“Now we’re going to employ 24-hour security as a result,” Markakis saidGenesis Health and Fitness is a 24/7 gym franchise with more than 40 locations across Australia, with the Taylors Lakes location opening in late 2025.A media release on the gym group’s operator, Belgravia Health and Fitness, said local business owners and Genesis franchisees, Chris Chaviaras, George Markakis and Peter Travlos were “driving the project”.The Lakes Health and Fitness Lifestyle previously operated at the location for more than 35 years before closing in April 2025.Get the day’s breaking news, entertainment ideas and a long read to enjoy. Sign up to receive our Evening Edition newsletter.Default avatarJames Costa is a breaking news reporter at The Age.Connect via X or email.From our partners