Victoria restaurant fire deemed 'suspicious' by investigators

Firefighters arrived at the Ricky’s All Day Grill just after 3 a.m. to find smoke and flames rising from the building at 2900 Douglas Street. (CTV News)

A Friday morning fire at a Victoria restaurant is considered suspicious, according to investigators.

Firefighters arrived at the Ricky’s All Day Grill just after 3 a.m. to find smoke and flames rising from the building at 2900 Douglas Street.

The Victoria fire chief said the fire is still under investigation and a cause has not yet been determined. (CTV News)

"It was fully involved on arrival," Chief Dan Atkinson of the Victoria Fire Department told CTV News. "It’s a substantial fire and we are still putting out hotspots."

Fire crews were still attacking small fires burning at the eatery before 9 a.m.

"We are presently working with our partners at VicPD as the fire is suspicious in nature, but the cause remains under investigation at this time," Atkinson said Friday afternoon.

Traffic was heavily disrupted on the main artery into downtown Victoria as police and firefighters blocked the road to allow firetrucks to get closer to the scene.

Northbound traffic was still getting through during the rush-hour commute while southbound traffic was being detoured around the area.

Video posted on social media shows flames erupting through the roof of the restaurant.