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State Liquor Authority summarily suspends La Officina license after bar 'fire show' burns employees
Summary
The State Liquor Authority voted to summarily suspend the license of La Officina after agency counsel presented videos and witness accounts showing routine ignition of alcohol on the bar that on Aug. 23 burned three people, including 27‑year‑old employee Manuela Vergara Salazar, who remains seriously injured. The board cited imminent threat to public safety and ordered suspension pending further proceedings.
The State Liquor Authority on Sept. 18 voted to summarily suspend the restaurant liquor license of La Polera Colorado 2 Corporation, doing business as La Officina, after counsel told the board investigators had seen multiple videos of an ongoing "fire show" at the bar and reported that three people were burned on Aug. 23.
"On 08/23/2025, they intentionally lit a fire on their bar," Lauren Rosenthal, counsel for the enforcement office, told the board, describing videos and interviews with victims and witnesses. Rosenthal said one employee, 27‑year‑old Manuela Vergara Salazar, remained hospitalized nearly a month later with very serious burns and disfigurement. She said investigators were told staff did not call 911, attempted to remove evidence and tried to pay a witness to stay quiet.
Chair Lily Fan said the evidence presented in the board folders met the legal threshold for a summary suspension. "Based on evidence presented today by counsel and other submissions that's in the folder for the board members, I'm gonna vote to summarily suspend this license," Fan said, adding the premises posed an "imminent threat to public safety, health and welfare." Commissioner John Maia joined the vote; with one commissioner absent the board proceeded with the two available votes.
The board's order suspends alcohol service at the premises while the agency's enforcement and investigative teams continue the criminal and administrative inquiries. Counsel said the enforcement bureau had interviewed victims and the fire marshal and that a person alleged to have sprayed the alcohol — identified in the materials as Augustine Contreras — had not been apprehended. The suspension does not resolve civil or criminal liability; investigators said they would continue to coordinate with law enforcement to locate possible criminal suspects.
The summary suspension was recorded as an immediate administrative action; the board noted licensees can later seek reconsideration or appeal through the agency's formal hearing processes. The authority also reminded attendees that criminal investigations are separate and ongoing, and encouraged anyone with information about the incident to share it with investigators.
