Tucked away in a Sun Valley strip mall, El Compadre market and restaurant was a neighborhood staple, selling handmade tamales, carne asada tacos, fresh pan dulce and an array of products imported from Mexico.
Patrons described it as the kind of friendly business where groceries could be bought on credit and friends could swing by on Friday for karaoke night.
But in the early hours of Sunday morning, the family-owned store was reduced to ash and rubble after a powerful blaze ignited inside.
Investigators suspect an arsonist was to blame.
More than 100 firefighters responded to the conflagration at 8500 N. Sunland Blvd. at 4:40 a.m. and knocked down the fire in 34 minutes, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Videos of the response show crews dousing the building with water as flames leap through the roof of the market, sending black plumes of smoke into the air.
The fire damaged multiple businesses in the mall and destroyed El Compadre. Arson investigators are continuing to probe the cause, according to the LAFD.
Gerardo Salcedo, the son of the business owner, told ABC7 that investigators had obtained surveillance video that showed a man on a bicycle putting a bottle through the mail slot minutes before the fire ignited.
But who would target the business is, currently, a mystery, he said.
Gerardo said his father, Genaro Salcedo, worked at the store and held two other jobs until he saved enough money to purchase the business nine years ago.
Since then, Genaro has always tried to give back to the community, his son said, allowing people to take home groceries to feed their families and then pay later when they are able.
“He’s been trying to be nice to as many people as he can,” Gerardo said of his father. “He tries to help out the community, and to just have everything taken away from him in 20 minutes is tough.”
The family started a GoFundMe to raise funds to restore the business and keep themselves afloat in the meantime.
“Our 9-year family-owned business was recently burnt down by someone. The store was totaled as the fire destroyed everything,” organizer Alejandra Roque wrote. “Our employees lost their jobs and our main source of income is gone.”
More than 65 people donated to the fundraiser within a day, leaving messages of well wishes for the family.
“I am so so sorry that this tragic event happened to your family,” one donor wrote. “I hope everyone in your community takes care of you now like you’ve always taken care of them.”
Another customer got choked up looking at the debris of the business Sunday evening as she told ABC7 how the owner had been there for her.
“I knew, no matter what, I could always come here and get something to eat, even if I had no money,” the woman said. “That’s the type of guy this owner is. He’s so, so kind.”