A suspected arson attack has severely damaged a gym and martial arts centre in Melbourne’s inner-west, with police treating the fire as a targeted incident.

Emergency crews rushed to the Genesis Health Club on Hampstead Road in Maidstone at about 12:30am, where flames had engulfed the three-storey building. Firefighters brought the blaze under control after about an hour, and no injuries were reported.

The building housed both a fitness centre and a Brazilian jiu-jitsu academy, which suffered extensive damage in the fire .

Police say the offenders fled before emergency services arrived and investigators believe the attack was deliberate. Detectives are appealing for witnesses and CCTV or dashcam footage from the area.

The incident also forced a neighbouring childcare centre to close for the day, disrupting more than 100 families.

The blaze is the second suspected arson attack targeting a Genesis Health Club in Melbourne within two days, raising concerns over a possible link between the incidents.