NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Three people are now charged with aggravated arson in connection with a May fire at LaDanse nightclub near downtown Nashville.
The fire broke out early May 11 at the nightclub on Rosa L. Parks Boulevard.
According to arrest warrants, Nashville Fire Department investigators determined the fire was intentionally set and identified two separate, unconnected areas where it began inside LaDanse.
Surveillance video from a nearby police camera showed three men leaving the Puff and Hit Smoke Shop, which shares the building with LaDanse, shortly after 2 a.m., according to investigators. About a minute later, smoke could be seen coming from the roof.
The warrants say the three men then walked to a vehicle parked beside the building and sat inside for several minutes while facing the business. The vehicle left after smoke became visible at ground level in the parking lot.
Investigators said the three people charged include LaDanse's owner, an employee of the vape shop and a friend. According to the warrants, the nightclub owner told investigators he had been in the back of LaDanse before the fire and was within feet of one of the areas where investigators determined it began.
An employee was also inside a neighboring business when the fire started. Investigators said an employee closing The Red Phone Booth noticed smoke coming into an office that shared a wall with LaDanse. The employee said the smoke eventually filled the business, putting him at risk of serious physical harm or death.
The warrants charge all three with aggravated arson and allege at least one person was present in the structure when the fire was set.
ATF investigators also reviewed surveillance footage and audio from the building. Investigators said the evidence led them to believe all three know who intentionally set the fire or how it was set.
No one was hurt.
The building owner said a separate civil case involving the former tenants is also underway, with disputes over the lease and responsibility for the damage.
“The criminal case will now proceed through the justice system. Our civil case will proceed separately,” the owner said in a statement. “The criminal process seeks accountability; the civil process will seek to make us whole.”
LaDanse had been shut down following a string of shootings earlier this year.
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