Investigators now say that a fire at a strip-mall liquor store in Redwood City last fall was deliberately set, and that the manager of the store who died in the fire was the arsonist, staging the scene to make it appear he was a victim.

We may never learn the motive or backstory in this bizarre case out of Redwood City. But this week we learn via the Redwood City Police Department that the November 3, 2025 fire at Avenue Liquors, in which two men were found dead in a loft inside the store, was an act of arson and an apparent murder-suicide.

The fire happened around 5:30 am, and as the Redwood City Pulse reported at the time, after the two men were found dead inside, it was initially unclear if the men had been sleeping or living inside the store, given the early hour.

The two men would soon be identified as 56-year-old Benigno "Benny" Nuguid Pare, the manager of the store, and 25-year-old Anil Kumar Sharma, a store employee. And the Palo Alto Daily Post reported, via local residents familiar with the store, that Pare was known to sleep in the loft at the back of the store. According to the Redwood City Pulse, Pare had a wife and four children in the Philippines, and was known to work at the store around 80 hours per week.

Pare had reportedly told customers that, after 15 years at the store, he was soon going to return to the Philippines, having saved enough money to return to his family, in late November.

Per Redwood City police, "Both men were located in a loft area near the rear of the business. Investigators detected the odor of gasoline in the area. Pare was found with a chain around both wrists secured by a lock. Subsequent examination determined the chain tightly secured one wrist while remaining loose around the other."

Sharma's remains were also found in the same loft area.

Both the front and rear entrances of the building were locked and secured from the inside, and investigators say that, based on surveillance evidence and witness statements, in addition to the physical evidence, they believe Pare "intentionally introduced and ignited gasoline in the loft area." Investigators don't believe any other individuals were involved in the arson.

Pare was reportedly a religious man, as the Redwood City Pulse reports, and regularly played Christian music inside the store.

The younger man, Sharma, was married with two children. Investigators have not indicated that they know any reason why Pare would want to kill Sharma, or take his own life.

The investigation appears to have concluded, but anyone with information related to the fire or the men involved is encouraged to contact the Redwood City Police Department at 650-780-7100.

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