PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Portland Police Bureau formally acknowledged Thursday that there is a suspect in the arson at a popular Hollywood District restaurant, and released a photo of the person they believe started the fire.
The fire happened in the early morning hours of Nov. 23, at Reo’s Ribs on Northeast Sandy Boulevard. Crews arrived to smoke coming from the back of the building and discovered flames both on the exterior and interior. The blaze was quickly extinguished and no injuries were reported.
A spokesperson for Portland Fire & Rescue confirmed Monday that the fire had been determined to be arson.
KOIN 6 News obtained surveillance video of the fire. In it, a woman appears to light paper on fire and shove it behind a dumpster next to the building. Within minutes, the blaze grew large and hot enough to destroy the surveillance camera, according to co-owner Myra Girod.
Investigators would not answer questions about the woman seen in the video.
Thursday, though, PPB put out a press release asking for help identifying the suspect. They included a photo, but few other details about the circumstances surrounding the alleged crime.
Crime Stoppers of Oregon offers cash rewards of up to $2,500 for information leading to an arrest in unsolved felony crimes. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
The Hollywood District restaurant was destroyed in another fire back in 2017 and reopened after rebuilding. That fire was determined to be accidental, but owner Reo Varnado said at the time he did not believe that.
Reo Varnado is also the uncle of Snoop Dogg, and was on his nephew’s cooking show with Martha Stewart filming a segment at the time of the 2017 fire.
Despite the economic setbacks facing Portland businesses, Girod said the community has been overwhelmingly supportive of Reo’s Ribs since it reopened after the first fire.
“People knew that we were open finally and we were doing well,” she said. The restaurant was offering delivery and takeout during the pandemic. Now, Girod isn’t sure when they’ll be able to reopen, though she’s hopeful it will be sometime this coming spring.