El Cortez patio fire suspicious: Edmonton police

The patio of El Cortez restaurant, located on Edmonton’s Whyte Avenue, was damaged after a fire broke out Thursday night.

Fire crews responded to the fire near 83 Avenue and Gateway Boulevard around 9:42 p.m.

Crews arrived on scene three minutes later to find the patio at the rear of the building fully involved. The fire was brought under control within 30 minutes and officially declared out at 11:11 p.m.

A video on social media of the blaze showed a large fireball right behind the former Mexican kitchen and tequila bar. In one photo, the blaze could be seen from several blocks away.

After the fire was extinguished, charred debris could be seen scattered throughout the area, a strong smell of smoke hung in the air, and yellow caution tape wrapped around what’s left of the two-level patio.

Yuki Wong and his business partner, Melissa Leung, were looking to open up an Asian fusion restaurant in the same location that once housed El Cortez, which last stated it was undergoing renovations at the start of 2025. It’s Google page now saying the business is permanently closed.

Wong says his team just started their renovation work here three days ago.

“Definitely, it’s devastating,” said Wong. “On a positive note, we have more time to prepare.”

Leung added, “We thought we can open as soon as possible, but unfortunately, this happened.”

EFRS says the Edmonton Police Service were also on scene, and there were no injuries. The fire is considered to be suspicious and is under investigation.

Folks on Whyte Ave told CityNews they were waiting for El Cortez to reopen after renovations, but are now mourning the loss of the business.

“It was always super lively, so it’s just unfortunate to see what’s happened and I think people were expecting it to open, and then it never happened,” said one Edmontonian.

Another said, “I hope that somebody is able to redevelop it and turn it back into a welcoming environment.”

A spokesperson with the Old Strathcona Business Association told CityNews they’re grateful no one was hurt and that EFRS’s quick response kept the fire from spreading to neighbouring buildings.

Wong is still looking on the bright side, a delayed but eventual grand opening of his business, Kanpai, saying it would’ve opened this summer, but now eyeing a possible launch of the bar after Christmas.

“Honestly, we’ve spent the last 16-18 months putting this project together, and we’re still positive. We have very strong community support, and relying on that, hopefully,” said Wong.