Fire erupts at Mark Wahlberg’s new restaurant shortly before ribbon-cutting ceremony

A blaze broke out at Mark Wahlberg’s new Mexican restaurant, Flecha Cantina, right before its ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The fire took hold just one night before Wahlberg was set to host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the restaurant’s Las Vegas, Nevada location on November 7, marking nearly three weeks since Flecha Cantina’s grand opening on September 14. A video of the flames outside Flecha Cantina was shared on X/Twitter.

A spokesperson for Flecha Cantina told People magazine that a fire started on Wednesday after “a defective fire pit caught fire on the bottom of it.”

“The fire crew came and put it out right away,” said the spokesperson. “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.”

They added: “The fire sprinkler company came back out and recharged the system and the restaurant was back open at 7pm.”

The Clark County Fire Department responded to reports of flames reaching the restaurant’s patio at approximately 5:30pm. By the time they arrived, sprinklers had already activated and the restaurant had been fully evacuated.

Fire officials confirmed that the flames had not reached the building’s interior and were confined to a single propane fire table. Surveillance footage indicated that the fire ignited from within the table’s internal mechanisms.

The Las Vegas restaurant offers “a fusion of traditional Mexican flavors with innovative twists,” according to a press release. Following the success of Flecha’s first location in Huntington Beach, California, which opened on June 8, the Las Vegas location opened in September. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will reportedly continue as planned.

Wahlberg, along with his wife Rhea Durham and their four children, relocated from California to Las Vegas in 2022. He said the move did not impact his acting career, as he “only made a couple of movies in the entire time” he lived in California, and gave his family new opportunities and freedom.

“It’s a place where my kids can thrive and do their thing and pursue their interests,” Wahlberg People in March. “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.”

Wahlberg and Durham, who were married in August 2009, are parents to daughters Ella, 20, and Grace, 14, along with sons Michael, 17, and Brendan, 15.