FIRE SHOCK
Towie star Elliott Wright in shock after his Marbella restaurant burns to the ground weeks after his dad dies of Covid
FORMER The Only Way is Essex star Elliott Wright’s Costa del Sol restaurant has been gutted by fire - just weeks after his dad died from coronavirus.
The devastating blaze at Olivia’s La Cala broke out around 5.30am this morning.
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Three fire engines rushed to the scene along with police and paramedics.
Elliott, the cousin of TV star Mark Wright, was at the restaurant in La Cala de Mijas near Fuengirola today surveying the damage.
He wrote on Instagram: "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.. 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."
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His Towie pals James Argent, Ferne McCann and Megan McKenna all sent him their love in the comments.
Its been a tough year for Elliott, whose dad Eddie died from Covid last month.
Eddie battled the illness for eight weeks before his death, which left the family "shattered".
The restaurateur said at the time: “It is with heart wrenching regret I have to post this post.
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“My father 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.”
An investigation into the cause of the blaze is now underway.
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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.
“It’s not going to open today or this week or this month because of the amount of damage there’s been."
Another added: “It took about two hours to bring the blaze under control.
“Firefighters have been at the scene this morning along with police.”
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Elliott was spotted at his restaurant this morning and said to be bizarrely dressed as a firefighter.
He said: “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.
“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.”
He appeared in The Only Way is Essex between 2010 and 2017.
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Mark Wright and his wife Michelle Keegan were among those who attended the glitzy opening of the restaurant in August 2015.
Its owner said after the opening: “I’ve been lucky enough to have been able to build my dream.”
Read More on The Sun
In August 2019 singer Jessie J put in a cameo appearance at the 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 eaterie before joining the crowd in cheering him through the set.
Video shows Towie star Elliott Wright’s restaurant Olivia's in Marbella
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