Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Mark Wahlberg’s new Mexican restaurant, Flecha Cantina, went up in flames right before its ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The blaze broke out 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.
According to a press release shared with People, 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 hadn’t 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.
On November 6, a spokesperson for Flecha Cantina told People that the cause of the fire was a defective fire pit ignited from the bottom, which had sparked a brief blaze.
“The fire crew arrived and quickly extinguished it,” the spokesperson said. “The only damage was to the fire pit itself and a nearby chair, with no harm to the interior of the restaurant, and thankfully, no injuries.”
They added: “The fire sprinkler company came back out and recharged the system and the restaurant was back open at 7pm.”
The Las Vegas restaurant offers “a fusion of traditional Mexican flavors with innovative twists,” the press release stated. 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 continue as planned, according to People.
Wahlberg, along with his wife Rhea Durham and their four children, relocated from California to Las Vegas in 2022. The move not only benefited his acting career, as he “only made a couple of movies in the entire time” he lived in California, but also 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 told the outlet 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.
