Laurence Dollimore
THE fire which erupted at the Nao Pool Club this week was most likely intentional, investigators believe.
Sources close to the investigation told Diario Sur that the working hypothesis is that the blaze was a result of an arson attack.
The flames erupted at around 2am on Tuesday just hours before the club was scheduled to reopen for the summer season.
Police believe the attack was an attempt to sabotage the re-launch of the upmarket venue, owned by the son of well-known Marbella businesswoman Olivia Valere.
Nao, based in Nueva Andalucia, still managed to open its doors at 2pm yesterday after the fire failed to cause significant damage.
The team actually managed to fulfil its reservations for that day while implementing strict social distancing measures.
The blaze had only managed to destroy some outdoor furniture, mostly wood, and some trees, and did not affect the main building.
The upmarket club, which serves food and drink, seemed unperturbed by the blaze, writing on social media some hours later: “Only the strong survive, see you at 14:00.”
If the fire was intentional and designed to sabotage the business, it would be one of several similar stories along the Costa del Sol.
Last year the Playa Padre beach club, also in Marbella, was torched in what investigators described as a ‘settling of accounts’.
The year before, Heaven beach club in Estepona was also burned to the ground.
It soon transpired that that was a warning from the Colombian drug cartels to the owner, who owed money related to cocaine trafficking.
He would later be shot and killed outside a church in San Pedro, on the day of his daughter’s christening.
