Redwood City liquor store manager found with wrists chained after deadly fire

The manager of a Redwood City liquor store is believed to have intentionally started the fire that engulfed the shop last year, killing him and another employee, police said. 

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Investigators believe Benigno “Benny” Nuguid Pare, 56, used gasoline to start the blaze in the loft area of Avenue Liquors at 2147 Roosevelt Ave., the Redwood City Police Department said in a news release Thursday. Fire crews were called to the area just after 5:30 a.m. on Nov. 3, and eventually found Pare and 25-year-old Anil Kumar Sharma, who was also an employee, with “no signs of life” and “severe burns,” SFGATE previously reported. The two men reportedly worked long hours at the liquor store and often slept in the building. However, investigators have not said why they were in the building after hours.  

Police said investigators found Pare with a chain locked around both wrists. One wrist was tightly restrained, while the other was bound more loosely, police said. 

Both the front and back exits of the business were locked from the inside, police said, with no sign that another person was involved in the fire. The case is still an active investigation as evidence is still being examined, but investigators do not expect a change in their conclusions after that examination is complete, the release said. 

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Avenue Liquors was a beloved business in the local area, and after the fire, community members held a vigil where they spoke about their favorite memories of the staff members, according to the Redwood City Pulse. 

Memorials and posters for the employees were also set up outside the store.

Anyone with information about the fire is urged to call the Redwood City Police Department at 650-780-7100.