Police launch investigation into mystery fire at TOWIE star Elliot Wright's Marbella restaurant after blaze started 'at the building's entrance' just weeks after his father died of Covid
- Way is Essex star Elliott Wright's Costa del Sol restaurant, Olivia's, was gutted by fire 5.30am today
- An investigation into cause of blaze is now underway at the eatery in Málaga, Spain. There are no casualties
- It comes just weeks after Elliott lost his father Edward Wright, who died at the age of 66 after a Covid battle
- Firefighters said blaze started at the restaurant's entrance before destroying much of the rest of the building
- Elliott took to Instagram to confirm news with the 'unbeaten' star vowing to rebuild venue 'bigger and better' Spanish police have opened an
investigation into a blaze which gutted TOWIE star Elliott Wright's
Costa del Sol restaurant, just weeks after the celebrity's father died
from Covid.
Specialist officers have been charged with carrying out a 'full investigation' into the cause of the fire, which broke out at the entrace of Olivia's La Cala restaurant in Marbella around 5.30am today, a Civil Guard spokesman said.
But they added that there is not yet any evidence to suggest the fire was started deliberately, and the investigation has been ordered purely as a fact-finding mission.
Playing down speculation himself, Mr Wright said today that he 'has no enemies' and his restaurant 'only ever had good support' from locals. 'It might be just one of those unfortunate things,' he added.
Three fire engines rushed to the scene along with police and paramedics as fire swept through the eatery, which opened with a glitzy ceremony attended by Elliott's cousin Mark Wright and wife Michelle Keegan in August 2015.
Elliott holds his head in his hands outside his burned restaurant this morning. He said that it is 'too soon to say why' the restaurant had gone up in flames. Officials said there were no causalities.
TOWIE star Elliott Wright's Spanish restaurant has been gutted in a mystery fire just weeks after his father died from coronavirus. He is pictured surveying the scene of the fire this morning
Elliot is seen wiping his eyes after surveying the damage which has been done to his 'dream' restaurant
Elliott said this morning that it was 'too soon to say why' the restaurant had gone up in flames. Officials said there were no causalities.
It comes just weeks after he lost his father Edward Wright, who died at the age of 66 following an eight-week battle with Covid in March.
Elliott, 41, was pictured surveying the scene of the fire in La Cala de Mijas near Fuengirola today as emergency services confirmed the restaurant was unlikely to open again this month due to the amount of damage.
Businesses have been severely hit in the Costa del Sol resort amid a lack of tourism caused by coronavirus pandemic. According to Olive Press, unions earlier this month claimed 50% of businesses - some 15,000 firms - have had to permanently shut in the resort after failing to cope during lockdown.
Elliott, who appeared in The Only Way is Essex between 2010 and 2017, insisted today he would rise from the ordeal of seeing his dream restaurant go up in flames and would 'never be beaten.'
In his first comments on the fire, he said: 'So I will get this out there as no doubt this news will spread fast... unfortunately it's with regret that @olivias_la_cala had a fire in the early hours of this morning...
'It's too soon to say why, all that matters is it has. More importantly in life you get tested.. it's been a very testing couple of years.. especially recently..'
He added: 'But if you know me, you know I will rise from this.. I will rebuild it big and better then before.. I will never be beaten.'
Local firefighters confirmed the alarm had been raised around 5.30am.
One said: 'Eight firemen in three fire engines rushed to the scene along with other emergency responders.
'The blaze broke out in the entrance of the restaurant and an investigation into how it started is underway but it's going to take some time to discover what caused it.
'No-one was inside the restaurant at the time and there were no casualties but there has been extensive damage to the premises.
Elliot sits on the seafront after visiting his Costa del Sol restaurant Olivia's La Cala which has been gutted by fire
TOWIE stars Jess Wright, Mark Wright, Michelle Keegan, Elliott Wright, Sadie Stuart and William Lee-Kemp are pictured at the restaurant in summer 2020
Elliott Wright (middle) is pictured with his father Edward (right), who died after an eight-week battle with coronavirus
'It's not going to open today or this week or this month because of the amount of damage there's been.'
It took firefighters nearly two hours to put out the blaze and they were still dampening parts of the eatery down around 9am.
One of the firemen involved in the operation said afterwards: 'The blaze broke out in the entrance of the restaurant and an investigation into how it started is underway but it's going to take some time to discover what caused it.
'No-one was inside the restaurant at the time and there were no casualties but there has been extensive damage to the premises.
'It's not going to open today or this week or this month because of the amount of damage there's been.'
Speaking from the scene of the fire after donning safety gear to go inside the burned-out building, Mr Wright added: 'We don't yet know why it's been burnt down.
'The awful thing is that it's happened three weeks before we were due to start earning money after a hard two years. But you know, it's one of those things and I won't be beaten.
'I've built it before and I'm going to rebuild it better.' Asked what he thought the cause of the fire could be, he said: 'I've no idea. I've no idea what started it.
'We're obviously going to investigate that but hopefully we'll be able to reopen in a month or a couple of months.
'I don't think we're going to lose this summer. I think we'll get it open at some point this summer.'
Insisting there was no reason to suspect someone had deliberately targeted his eaterie as part of an arson attack, although there is no evidence at this stage to suggest the fire was deliberately started, he added: 'There's no problems with anyone locally. I've got no enemies. We've only ever had good support.
Grand opening: TOWIE stars past and present attended the opening of the restaurant in 2015
Tragedy: It comes just weeks after Elliott, whose cousin is Mark Wright, lost his father Edward, who died at the age of 66 following an eight-week battle with Covid in March
'It might be just one of those unfortunate things. I just wish it had happened in November and not three weeks before we were going to start making money, because then I would have had time to rebuild it and I wouldn't have lost part of the summer.
'But it can't be helped. It is what it is. I've got no idea at the moment how much it will cost to put it right again and how much damage there is.'
The latest heartbreak for Elliott happened just five week after his dad died from coronavirus.
He revealed the tragic news in an Instagram post, saying: 'It is with heart wrenching regret I have to post this post.
'My father Edward George Wright passed away peacefully with his family by his side on March 2 after bravely fighting Covid for eight weeks.
'For those who knew my father, you know what a great man he was, always smiling, always humble, always happy.
'He never moaned and did his best to put a brave smile on. His love for his family is what he will be remembered to all of us, the ultimate family man.'
He also called his dad 'his rock' and his 'best friend' in the emotional tribute.
Elliott appeared in The Only Way is Essex between 2010 and 2017. In August 2019 singer Jessie J put in a cameo appearance at his Costa del Sol restaurant ahead of her performance at the Starlite festival in Marbella.
She made her surprise appearance to introduce her friend James Argent for his gig at the eatery before joining the crowd in cheering him through the set.
Confirmation: Elliott took to Instagram to confirm the news with the 'unbeaten' star vowing to rebuild the venue 'bigger and better'
Elliot Wright's restaurant Olivia's pictured before the fire that gutted the venue this morning
No comments: