It was just before 6:00 p.m. and in La Susana, the famous José Ignacio inn in Uruguay, there
was still no sign
of the
flames that would devastate everything just minutes later
.
The climate in the Uruguayan restaurant was a total antithesis of the chaos that engulfed it later, when a
raging fire broke out inside its premises
and consumed the entire wooden structure, turning the quiet beach spot into a terrifying landscape that spewed smoke that could be seen. tens of kilometers.
Before, everything was
calm and party: a DJ played music in
the afternoon while several diners had
drinks
, others danced and some families enjoyed the restaurant's dishes
in the company of children
.
It was an atmosphere typical of a summer vacation, with moments that were immortalized in videos that
the local's own Instagram account
published in its stories in the
moments before the catastrophe
.
The La Susana hostel minutes before the fierce fire in José Ignacio.
photo capture
Among the tables located
on the sand
there was also a
glitter and makeup stand
where customers came to look and get ready
for the night
.
It is that after sunset one of the
great events scheduled
for this weekend
was going to be held at the venue -which is one of the most chosen by the figures
of the Argentine show .
"Sunset of Carnival with Uruguayan candombe"
, was the party that was going to be held this Sunday night as part of one of the many celebrations held in the place to celebrate the
10th anniversary since its inauguration, which were on the next Thursday
.
The flyer had been disseminated through their social networks throughout the week and they had re-published it in the last few hours,
hoping for a large call
.
It was the last event of the three that they were going to do at the parador during the carnivals.
The first had been on Thursday, when the "Vik Wines Night" (wine night)
was held
and the second on Friday, which was with live music and the presentation of the
Uruguayan band Manumi
.
The La Susana hostel minutes before the fierce fire in José Ignacio.
photo capture
Both, like the one that would take place tonight, began at 9:00 p.m.
However, this time, three hours before the start of the party, an accident that -it is presumed- occurred
in the
restaurant's kitchen, changed all the plans.
Just after 6:00 p.m., the high flames and the column of smoke generated by a fire that broke out in the premises surprised the tourists who, on the beach, were stunned by the scene.
The evacuation was immediate, as well as
the total destruction of the inn built with wood
as the predominant material.
A factor that caused the flames to spread rapidly.
In a matter of minutes, the tranquility that La Susana offered was completely altered.
And the hostel, which
had almost full reserves for the next few days,
was filled with firefighters who had to carry out dangerous maneuvers to put out the uncontrollable flames.
Thus, the fire destroyed one of the places chosen
in 2017 as one of the eight best in the world
and gave a sad end to the place that next Thursday would hold the great summer party to celebrate 10 years since its inauguration.
La Susana, the parador chosen by famous Argentines
La Susana is part of the
Norwegian businessman Alexander Vik
's complex in Punta del Este and is located at km 182.5 of Route 10. The name of the place was chosen
in honor of his mother
, a native of Uruguay.
In addition to the restaurant, the small Norwegian emporium includes Hoteles Playa Vik, Bahia Vik, Estancia Vik, and
La Susana Restaurant & Beach Club
.
In 2016, they promoted the launch of "La Susanita", "a new proposal to enjoy the best
sushi, grill, drinks and music with your feet in the sand
and under the stars".
It is one of the inns most chosen by Argentine entertainment figures who usually vacation on the Uruguayan coast.
In recent summers, they have been in its facilities
from Pampita to the children of Marcelo Tinelli
, through the designer Pancho Dotto, and other actors and models such as Gastón Soffritti, Justina Bustos and Sabrina Garciarena.
This Sunday
it was the journalist Mónica Gutiérrez, who was in the area
and gave details of what happened in dialogue with the LN+ channel.
Mónica Gutiérrez in the Punta del Este fire: "Black smoke began to emerge from the beach".
“It was very impressive what happened this afternoon.
A dense column of black smoke began to emerge from the beach, meters from the José Ignacio roundabout," described the journalist Mónica Gutiérrez, who was there.
"It was unstoppable. From one minute to the next they had to evacuate the people who were preparing to see the sunset," she recounted.
And he explained: “This beach inn is located there, which is one of the most emblematic.
It is all set up on the sand, but of a very important structure”.
DS
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