North Highlands barbecue spot gutted by fire launches GoFundMe effort to rebuild
A GoFundMe relief effort has been launched for the owners of a North Highlands barbecue restaurant heavily damaged by fire early Thursday.
Metro Fire firefighters battled the 2:30 a.m. blaze that gutted Bear West BBQ & Soul Food in the 5900 block of Watt Avenue. Investigators are trying to determine the fire’s cause, Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District officials said in a Friday update, as Bear West’s owners look to rebuild.
Bear West’s owners in the online appeal said their eatery had been repeatedly targeted by vandals in the days leading to the fire, stopping short of saying the early Thursday fire was deliberately set.
“We never thought we’d have to write this. Bear West BBQ has been serving the Sacramento community with love, family, and good BBQ since 2017. Over the past week, our restaurant has been hit with repeated vandalism, and now — tragically — an early morning fire has caused devastating damage to our building,” wrote the fund’s organizer Shavonne Smith.
“This is more than a restaurant to us. It’s our family’s dream, our livelihood, and a community space where so many of you have celebrated, laughed, and shared meals together,” Smith said.
The fund had collected more than $2,800 toward a stated $20,000 goal by Friday afternoon. Smith in the fundraising campaign said the money would go toward emergency repairs and fire restoration, replacing equipment and inventory, security upgrades and support for Bear West employees who are now out of work.
“Right now, we’re facing overwhelming costs from the fire and vandalism damages,” Smith said. “Insurance will not cover everything, and we need help to rebuild (and) repair.”
Metro Fire Capt. Mark Nunez said Friday that investigators were “working diligently to determine the origin and cause of the fire.” Nunez added that department officials were waiting for further details to be confirmed before providing additional updates.
Firefighters arrived to heavy fire outside the restaurant at Watt and Karl Drive, he said. Their attack largely limited fire damage to the restaurant, he said, but adjoining businesses, including neighboring tattooists Heredia Art Collective, sustained smoke and water damage. Owners at Heredia have organized their own GoFundMe effort to raise money to reopen its doors.
Velez said the building’s owner is working with the businesses to help them reopen.
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