Staff and customers are feared to have died as fire rips through Clos de Nivar, just 10 days after it was hit with five Michelin stars
British business tycoon and food critic Marcus Wareing’s newly opened three-star Michelin restaurant in Madrid has burned down, becoming the second high-profile loss of a Michelin-starred establishment in the city in a week.
Wareing said he was informed of the fire by firefighters who had arrived shortly after it had started. Officials said 19 people were missing and feared dead.
“It is a very sad and unfortunate situation,” Wareing told Le Parisien newspaper in an interview published on Tuesday.
His restaurants, Clos de Nivar and The Clove Club, in the Spanish capital, were hit by fire a week ago and were closed for safety checks.
Firefighters were still at the scene on Tuesday afternoon trying to put out the flames.
A hotel adjacent to the restaurant was evacuated and nearby shops, including Marks & Spencer, Carrefour and Zara, evacuated.
The charred shell of the restaurant in the courtyard of the Spanish capital’s Sevilla estate appeared to have been reduced to ashes, while pictures posted on social media showed a partially collapsed building.
Parts of Madrid have been hit by a fresh wave of smog since yesterday, which has increased smog levels to some of the worst for many years.