Love Island star Claudia Bonifazio launches fundraiser after blaze destroys brother’s restaurant

Love Island star Claudia Bonifazio has spoken about a suspicious fire that claimed her brother’s business, with her family devastated by the “deliberately lit” blaze.

Bar38 on Greenhill Rd, Glenside, has been devastated by fire: Picture: Agnes Gichuhi

A suspicious fire has destroyed a trendy Glenside restaurant owned by Love Island winner Claudia Bonifazio’s brother.

The once vibrant eastern suburbs venue, Bar38 on Greenhill Rd, is now full of soot and debris

after police say a “deliberately lit” blaze swept through the building at about 3am on Sunday morning.

Ms Bonifazio told The Advertiser, her parents had once owned a pizza shop at the exact same location, before her brother Dion Bonifazio leased the venue alongside co-owners Nunzio Bonifazio and Lewis Goodridge four years ago.

“It was nice for my brother to get that and start that up again. It was really cute (and) sweet,” she said.

She said the family was in a state of shock and had launched a GoFundMe to support her brother who had “lost everything that he has work for.”

“We’re just glad that no one was hurt that’s the main thing. You can always rebuild stuff, but you can’t bring someone back,” Ms Bonifazio said.

“Thank you to everyone who’s donated, it has blown our minds. The amount of support we’ve already received like, we can’t even fathom it.”

She hopes the fundraiser will help owners get back on their feet.

Bar38 on Greenhill Rd, destroyed by suspicious fire. Picture: Agnes Gichuhi

Bar38 on Greenhill Rd, destroyed by suspicious fire. Picture: Agnes Gichuhi

Ms Bonifazio explained in the fundraiser the venue was sentimental to her family.

“It was somewhat of a family business. A lot of good memories, laughs and good food,” she wrote in the fundraiser.

“Bar38 was a local pizza bar that was extremely popular with the locals! It was an amazing community, and it brought in life long friends.

Ms Bonifazio also applauded her brother for his work ethic, and said the first has left him “disheartened”.

“I’ve seen him come home from work at 3am in the morning and get back up at 6am to straight back to work,” she wrote.

“(He’s) upset, distraught, shattered, beside himself, there isn’t one right-enough word to explain how a business owner can feel in this moment.”

Claudia Bonifazio, the winner of the latest season of Love Island Australia, is the sister of one of Bar38’s owners. Picture: Supplied

Co-owner of Bar38, Dion Bonifazio, following a suspicious fire on Sunday that completely destroyed his business. Picture: Agnes Gichuhi

Dion Bonifazio said the fire came as a surprise to everyone, including nine of his staff, with his business partner alerting him to the fire at around 6.30am.

“I feel tired, I feel hurt, and it’s (going to) take me a lot to recover from this,” the 27-year-old said.

“This business has been very, very hard. And, you know, going through Covid was a struggle and we managed to push past that and now (it’s) just obstacle after obstacle, I guess.”

The fundraiser target is set at $20,000 to cover incoming expenses such as rent, but the siblings say it would take about $300,000 to completely rebuild.

“They’ve completely lost the business, there’s no funding for that at all,” Ms Bonifazio said.

Bar38 on Greenhill Rd, destroyed by a suspicious fire. Picture: Agnes Gichuhi

Bar38 on Greenhill Rd, destroyed by a suspicious fire. Picture: Agnes Gichuhi

SA Police said the fire was deemed to be suspicious, but Mr Bonifazio says he has “absolutely no idea who it could be” or why anyone would target the premises. Neither Mr Bonifazio nor his family and staff are accused of any wrongdoing.

“We’re lucky enough to have built a community around this business and we’ve made a lot of friendships and a lot of relationships from this business,” he said.

“So it’s not just devastating for me, but for the entire tight (community) around here.”

Mr Bonifazio also revealed their business’ insurance had expired just months prior.

“I think we need to re-evaluate and see what we’re going to do moving forward,” he said.

“We didn’t renew it (insurance). Obviously, we’ve just been very busy and didn’t even think about it.”

“So for myself, I think the best thing to do is to work and try to sort out what I need to pay back.

Fire-ravaged Bar38 on Greenhill Rd, Glenside. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

Bar38 on Greenhill Rd, Glenside SA. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

Fire crews tamed the fire in about 50 minutes, leaving an estimated damage bill of $200,000, which could have escalated to $2m had fire crews not acted quickly to save the adjoining businesses.

The inferno caused half of the venue’s ceiling to collapse, with glass light fixtures in other areas left dangling by the cord.

The seats and tables that were not completely melted or destroyed were covered in ashes, with fire debris including bottles, shelves and glass scattered across the premises.

Bar38 attracted diners for their artisan wood oven pizzas, booth seating and cocktail lounge fit-out, serving a range of gourmet cocktails and beverages.

Bar38 on Greenhill Rd, Glenside, was destroyed by a suspicious fire on Sunday. Picture: Agnes Gichuhi

Fire crews used nine appliances and 29 firefighters to extinguish the fire, once they arrived at the scene to see dark black smoke coming from the business.

The fire also caused damage to a restaurant and another business attached to the bar.

About an hour later, police and MFS were called to Estella Street, Osbourne, after reports of a black Subaru Impreza also on fire.

Following checks, police found the car had been stolen from Lightsview on Tuesday August 15.

They are now investigating if the blaze at the bar and the car fire are connected.

Anyone with information about both incidents is being urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report online at www.crimestoperssa.com.au.