Celebrity hotspot Carbone in Miami has caught on fire just six months after the trendy New York restaurant launched the site in South Beac...
Celebrity hotspot Carbone in Miami has caught on fire just six months after the trendy New York restaurant launched the site in South Beach.
Miami Beach Fire Recue crews were called to reports of smoke at the eatery at 49 Collins Avenue just after 9pm Saturday, as July 4 weekend celebrations were in full swing.
The blaze was sparked inside the restaurant on a hood in the kitchen, the fire department tweeted.
Firefighters were seen climbing ladders to the roof to battle the flames.
The fire was later extinguished and no injuries were reported.
Celebrity hotspot Carbone Miami has caught on fire just six months after the trendy New York restaurant launched the site in South Beach. Pictured fire crews on the scene
Staff are seen sitting on a wall watching firefighters tackle the blaze at the restaurant
The restaurant's iconic neon sign. Miami Beach Fire Recue crews were called to reports of smoke at the eatery at 49 Collins Avenue just after 9pm Saturday
Footage posted on social media showed fire trucks and firefighters on the scene while an alarm rang out.
Smoke was seen billowing into the night air creating a haze around the eatery's neon light sign and the palm trees that line the entrance.
Photos from the scene showed staff sitting on a wall nearby and bystanders watching as firefighters battled the blaze.
It is not clear what the extent of the damage is to the newly opened eatery.
It is also unclear how the blaze impacted the night's service and when the restaurant will reopen.
Waiters and staff were said to be concerned about how long it would remain shuttered and how it would affect their paychecks, as the incident put a dampener on what would have been a busy July 4 weekend.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Major Food Group - which owns Carbone - for comment.
The blaze will come as a major blow to both the restaurant owners and staff, after the hospitality industry was one of the hardest hit amid the pandemic, enduring long lockdowns and a slow return to indoor dining in many major cities.
Carbone Miami only opened six months ago in January as the sister restaurant of the original in New York which has long been eyed as the 'place to be' in the Big Apple.
The blaze was sparked inside the restaurant on a hood in the kitchen, the fire department tweeted
Firefighters were seen climbing to the roof to battle the flames. The fire was later extinguished and no injuries were reported
People watch the fire trucks and firefighters on the scene while an alarm rings out
The Carbone sign is seen as fire trucks and first responders surround the building amid the fire
Cofounder Mario Carbone told CBS4 that the timing of the new location opening was driven by the pandemic.
In New York City - known for its bar and restaurant scene - the bar and restaurant industry was crippled by months of closures and curfews.
Restaurants were shuttered for months with indoor dining only reopening on September at 25 percent before closing again in December.
They then reopened at limited capacity in February, with capacity increasing and curfews easing before the final COVID-19 restrictions were lifted in June.
Meanwhile, Florida had some of the most relaxed COVID-19 rules throughout the pandemic, encouraging the owners to launch the site in Miami.
'It was always part of our hope, in our dreams, and I think with the last year and COVID and everything that's happened and the fact that we are pretty shut down in New York, sped up our process and the thoughts to be here in Miami,' Carbone told CBS4 in January.
'So we made a quick pivot here.'
Major Food Group also opened its ZZ's Sushi Bar in the Miami Design District in April - as an offshoot of its ZZ’s Clam Bar in New York.
Several other famed New York City restaurants also turned to opening branches in Miami to help them survive the pandemic including other celeb favorites Cote and Sant Ambroeus.
It is not clear what the extent of the damage is. It is also unclear how it impacted the night's service and when the restaurant will reopen
Firefighters are seen battling the blaze at the celebrity haunt that only opened in January
Employees of the popular restaurant are seen gathering outside as the drama plays out
Fire crews climb up a ladder to battle the blaze from the top of the restaurant in an effort to bring it under control
The move for Carbone proved popular with its arrival instantly triggering a three-month waitlist as people clamored to get a table at the famed Italian eatery.
The Miami Beach site marked the fourth branch in total after founders Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi, and Jeff Zalaznick previously set up sites in Hong Kong and Las Vegas.
A Dallas restaurant is also in the pipeline for later in the year.
The New York restaurant opened back in 2013 in the heart of Greenwich Village, Manhattan, where the famed Italian-American Rocco restaurant once stood.
It serves upscale classic Italian dishes and soon became known as 'the most influential American restaurants of the last decade'.
It is a popular haunt for celebrities with Leonardo DiCaprio, Rihanna and the Kardashians all spotted dining at one of its joints.
Zalaznick, Torrisi, and Carbone have a portfolio of other restaurants in the Major Food Group including THE GRILL, Sadelle’s, ZZ’s Clam Bar, Parm and Dirty French.
Carbone Miami (pictured) opened in January and instantly triggered a three-month waitlist
The Miami Beach site (above) marked the fourth branch in total after founders Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi, and Jeff Zalaznick previously set up sites in Hong Kong and Las Vegas
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