Fire at Sisu Hotel could have been the Spanish Grenfell claims building owner’s lawyer

A MYSTERY blaze that left one hotel guest dead could have been ‘like Grenfell Tower’, claims a lawyer representing the building’s owners.

Apart from rapid spread of the late night fire, the controversial Sisu Boutique Hotel, in Marbella, had no functioning fire alarms, claimed fellow guests.

While police continue to probe the August 21 blaze, which left a Frenchman, 30, dead and nine injured, lawyer Antonio Flores has slammed the potential negligence of the management, who were running the hotel.

“The fire spread so fast. People thought they were going to die. It could have been like Grenfell Tower,” said Flores, who represents the company that owns the hotel.

“I think it was arson. I believe it was deliberate. But we still have no update from the police.”

The fire forced 100 guests to flee the hotel among flames and smoke, with many clambering down the facade of the building without shoes in a desperate bid to reach safety.

According to the town hall, it was indeed a patrol from the town’s local police force that first raised the alarm on seeing a plume of smoke billowing from the hotel.

A shoeless Belgian guest told the Olive Press outside the hotel: “No-one tried to evacuate us before we woke up around 6am. We were still in our room after the fire engines arrived.

“It was really scary… like a war-zone.”

The fire comes after years of controversy at the hotel and a legal tussle between owner Gary Sanders and the management team run by Neil Acland.

A hand grenade attack started another blaze at the hotel in 2017.

Acland was approached for comment but declined.