Longtime Puerto Rican Restaurant in Ballard Vows to Rebuild After Devastating Fire [UPDATED]

This week, local Ballard businesses are trying to pick up the pieces after sudden disaster struck. On Monday, a 3-alarm blaze ripped through the building at 2318 Market Street and inflicted major damage to several retail operations, including the Puerto Rican restaurant La Isla, a mainstay in the neighborhood for 14 years. The Vietnamese restaurant Pho Big Bowl was also affected, along with Kitchen N Things, Octo Designs and Jewelers, and Supercuts. Nearly two-thirds of Seattle’s active firefighting crew responded to the scene.

Thankfully, from all accounts, it seems that nobody was seriously injured in the fire. Officials have determined that the cause was likely electrical, with property damages around $3 million. Despite that assessment, La Isla has already expressed its determination to bounce back soon.

This difficult setback comes at a time of transition for La Isla. The restaurant — known for its wide range of Latin American cuisine and popular happy hours — recently reopened an outpost in Redmond and rebranded its Ballard spot as La Isla Lounge, focusing more on live music, catering, and some tapas, rather than a full dine-in menu.

It’s still too early to say whether the fire will force the restaurant to reassess its future in Ballard, but the neighborhood seems willing to chip in. A Go Fund Me campaign has been set up by a local group called the Ballard Alliance to help businesses affected by the fire. As of early Tuesday morning, it’s raised more than half of its $25,000 goal.

UPDATED: October 8, 2019, 1:13 p.m.: Information about the cause of the fire and the amount of damage has been added.

• 3-Alarm Fire in Central Ballard Destroys Several Businesses [My Ballard]
• Total Loss From Ballard Fire Estimated $3M, Cause Likely Electrical [My Ballard]
• Fire Department Working to Determine Cause of Ballard Blaze; Fund Set Up for Affected Businesses [Seattle Times]
• Well-Regarded Puerto Rican Restaurant Officially Reopens in Redmond [ESEA]
• All coverage of La Isla [ESEA]