NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Business owners in one North Little Rock shopping center spent Tuesday cleaning up after a devastating fire broke out at North Bar Monday night.
Firefighters responded to the around 7 p.m.. Although officials said nobody was hurt, businesses are still feeling the impact.
It's hard to tell there was a fire on the outside, but the inside of the North Bar is a different story.
The owner, who declined an interview, told us it's been an emotional time, and he's trying to figure out what happens next with the restaurant.
The doors are closed now, and neighboring businesses are feeling the impact.
"We need to do a very good clean up because there is a lot of smoke on the wall, ceiling, floor, food and everything," La Corita Owner Marcos Moctezuma said.
Moctezuma's restaurant, two doors down from North Bar, closed Tuesday so his staff could thoroughly clean up.
He said he's not sure when they'll reopen.
"We need to call the inspectors again," Moctezuma said. "They need to show up. They need to go and look at it to see if everything is good to open, and then we are going to open, but we don't know. We probably will close for the rest of the week."
The Book Store, next door to La Corita, remains open, but the owners multitask.
"It still smells like smoke," The Book Store Owner Rebecca Spugnardi said. "Of course, all this dirt in the air is starting to settle, so we'll have to dust and clean."
Spugnardi said no books are damaged, but they must wipe them down and air out the room with fans.
"Other than that, we were very blessed," Spugnardi said. "It's not water damage or anything like that."
The North Little Rock Fire Department Assistant Fire Marshal said they're still investigating the cause of the fire and said it started in the storage room.
"They made an interior attack," Capt. Chris Patton said. "They used positive pressure ventilation to keep it from spreading to the other businesses."
Spugnardi said she feels for the North Bar owners.
"Our heart goes out to North Bar for sure," Spugnardi said. "It's going to be a tough rebuild for them. I've seen some pictures there. It's going to be a lot."
In a Facebook post, the North Bar asked people to stay away from the area until it is cleaned up.