(FOX40.COM) -- Two businesses in North Highlands are cleaning up after a fire that businesses say started when someone allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail into Bear West BBQ around 3 a.m.
The flames quickly spread along the patio and walls of the restaurant causing major damage to the property.
Next door to Bear West, Heredia Art Collective, a local tattoo shop also received some damage from the fire.
Both businesses are now closed indefinitely.
Marlon Smith, who helps run Bear West BBQ with his mother, said the damage feels personal.
“We’re good people. We give to the homeless, we do charity, we do all kinds of things for the community. We don’t have enemies, we have friends,” Smith said.
Next door, Heredia Art Collective owner Zucely Heredia said the fire left their building flooded