Abbot Kinney Sushi Bar Wabi Venice Destroyed in Early Morning Fire Wednesday

Abbot Kinney sushi bar, Wabi Venice , has been destroyed by an early morning fire occurring on December 12th, 2018. First responders arrived at 1635 Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice at around 5 a.m.

It took an hour for the Los Angeles Fire Department to extinguish the blaze, Wabi GM, Brent Moon, who was on scene said. The cause of the fire remains unconfirmed and there were no injuries.

"Unfortunately, very little remains of the upscale sushi restaurant. Wabi Venice, known for Its decadent atmosphere and ornate sushi, now sits in ashes, having been previously acknowledged as one "The Most Beautiful Restaurants of 2017". The devastating news comes as a shock to local residents just days before Wabi's planned holiday charity event "Wabi Winter Wonderland" to benefit the Los Angeles Department of Children Family Services, hosted by celebrity actress, Meagan Good," wrote spokeswoman Rebecca Brando, in a press release sent Wednesday.

Included in the fire wreckage were one- of-kind art pieces by Bay Area artist, Laura Kimpton, that were on display at the time, wrote Brando. "Wabi Venice, (once known as Wabi Sabi) has been a fixture in the Venice Beach area since 1992. Sam Mitchell and Tricia Small took ownership of Wabi in 2015 with a complete rebranding as Wabi Venice. Wabi Venice plans on re-opening the front bar area upcoming weeks. The restaurant hopes to remain partially open during renovations."