Mark Wahlberg’s new restaurant caught fire just hours before hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The 53-year-old Hollywood star – who also owns the Wahlburgers chain with brothers Paul and Donnie with 90 locations – opened Mexican restaurant Flecha Cantina in Las Vegas, Nevada almost two months ago.
On Wednesday evening emergency services rushed to the venue after flames engulfed the outdoor patio, with videos on social media showing the blaze as firetrucks arrived on the scene and quickly reacted to put out the flames.
The Clark County Fire Department had responded to reports of the fire at around 5:30pm, with the sprinklers activating.
By the time they arrived, restaurant staff had ensured the building was fully evacuated.
A spokesperson for the eatery revealed the cause of the blaze was ‘a defective fire pit’ which caught fire from the bottom.
They added in a statement to People: ‘The fire crew came and put it out right away. No damage at all in the interior restaurant. The only damage was the fire pit and the chair next to it. Thankfully no one was injured.’
The fire department confirmed that the fire didn’t reach the interior, and firefighters controlled the blaze so they could turn off the propane tanks fueling the fire table.
‘The fire sprinkler company came back out and recharged the system and the restaurant was back open at 7pm,’ the restaurant spokesperson added, while they continued with plans for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
According to a press release, the restaurant offers ‘a fusion of traditional Mexican flavors with innovative twists’.
An initial Flecha location opened in Huntington Beach, California in June, before the Vegas branch followed in September.
Mark – known for starring in the likes of Boogie Nights, The Departed and Transformers -had moved from California to Sin City in 2022 with his wife Rhea Durham and their four children.
Earlier this year, he told People: ‘It’s a place where my kids can thrive and do their thing and pursue their interests.
‘To be able to give my kids a better life and follow and pursue their dreams – whether it be my daughter as an equestrian, my son as a basketball player, my younger son as a golfer – this made a lot more sense for us.’
As well as his restaurant business, he’s been keeping busy, having starred in Arthur the King and The Union this year, with Flight Risk coming next year, and both Play Dirty and Balls Up still to come.
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