Community rallies after fire at Hamlin BJJ academy

One of the first rules Marcos Vinicius teaches his students at the MVBJJ Academy in Hamlin is to never step on the mats with shoes on. 

However, that rule was broken Dec. 22, when firefighters had to rush in and extinguish flames that forced the jiu-jitsu to close temporarily.

The owners say the fire was caused by a short circuit in a mini-Pepsi cooler near the front door. It started at about 8 a.m. — hours before the first scheduled class that morning — and soon spread to a small plastic Christmas tree that sat on top of it. 

Vinicius said he learned about the fire from a friend who called him during his morning walk. He didn’t believe it at first until a FaceTime call showed the proof — firefighters in the gym dousing the flames. 

“Sometimes, I don’t believe this happened, you know?” Vinicius said. “It’s crazy, man.”

Courtesy photo

In all, the fire closed the gym for about a week and destroyed the front desk, about 25 gis, 45 white belts and a laptop, Vinicius said. A local company, BELFOR Property Restoration, helped with the repairs and cleaning for about $70,000, said Doug Leech, Vinicius’ business partner. 

The most sentimental of damaged items, though, was Vinicius’ black belt, which burned in the fire. 

“I know if I buy (a black belt on) Amazon, it’s like $30, but for me, part of me, that’s my life, you know?” said Vinicius, a second-degree black belt instructor. “That’s part of my body, because I’ve been working with jiu-jitsu for 27 years, my whole life.” 

Vinicius has trained in jiu-jitsu since he was 8 years old. He and Leech opened the gym in August 2024 with the goal of teaching its students not only jiu-jitsu but also implementing lessons on respect, confidence and community to help members succeed beyond the mat. 

The lessons learned from jiu-jitsu and the impact it has on one’s life ring especially true for Leech, who said the martial art was an outlet in his recovery from addiction and alcoholism. 

Leech said he has been in contact with the gym’s members throughout the restoration process.

Although some members canceled their memberships following the fire, Leech said the gym still is maintaining about 200 members, including children ages 5 to 17. Leech said by the end of this week, discounts will be sorted out, potentially offering members a partial month’s deduction as a result of the closure. 

Leech was thankful for the level of support he received from his longtime members, having found a community since opening. After the fire, that night and the next day, Leech said about 20 different people offered to come over and clean.