PORTLAND, Ore. -- Fire early Monday morning heavily damaged Reo's Ribs restaurant at Northeast Sandy Boulevard and 42nd Avenue, famously owned by the uncle of rapper Snoop Dogg.
Crews dispatched around 3:30 a.m. reported heavy smoke from each window on the Sandy side of the building.
They were able to extinguish most of the fire shortly after arriving, sparing the adjacent Rose City Realtors office. The fire was declared under control at 3:55 a.m.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, as does a damage estimate.
The restaurant is owned by Myra Girod and "Uncle Reo" Varnado, whose nephew is Snoop Dogg.
In a 30-minute Facebook Live video Monday morning, Varnado blamed racists for setting his restaurant on fire.
Posted by Reo Varnado on Monday, May 8, 2017
"I've got cameras," he said. "We're gonna find out who did this . . . you can run, but you can't hide."
Varnado thanked everyone for their prayers and support.
"I'm very sad this morning, but I can get over it," he said. "I'm not gonna let me get that down."