Fire Chars Little Havana Restaurant

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Heavy smoke and flames poured out of a tiny Little Havana restaurant early Friday morning.

Miami fire crews were called to Taqueria Viva Mexico, at SW 5th Street and 12th Avenue, around 5:30 a.m.

Firefighters were able to get it under control, but not before the neighborhood staple was charred and partially gutted.

Filix Hernandez, who owns the attached business next door, said he alerted to the fire early in the morning. He said when he arrived on the scene, he found his building had been saved from the flames but it had heavy smoke damage inside.

"We are in shock because we don't know what we are going to do because we normally wake up and come to work, now we don't know what to do, we are trying to calm down, to continue," he said.

Firefighters said while they were able to partially save the restaurant, it will likely be closed for a while.

The cause of the fire, and where it started, is under investigation.