Restaurant owners devastated after tobacconist blaze engulfs shop

A car smashed through the window of a neighbouring store, a tobacconist, just before 2am on February 11 and an alleged offender set the shop on fire, police said.

A passerby spotted the shopping precinct blaze in Seville, a tiny town in Victoria's Yarra Valley, and called emergency services.

Shops surrounding the tobacconist were "severely damaged" as the fire spread to Branded Burgers and Bar.

"No one wants to receive that call," the burger shop owners said.

"But we are grateful no one was at the shop working and that no one was hurt."

Fire and smoke damage, as well as the "intense" amount of water used to extinguish the flames, has resulted in Branded Burgers and Bar remaining closed.

The restaurant owners extended their heartfelt appreciation to the firefighters who extinguished the blaze saying "you are all heroes and do not ever go unnoticed".

An apprentice in the burger shop's kitchen said the fallout from the fire had been "traumatic and devastating for the new owners, myself and all other staff members".

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"Lyshea and Chris have sunk their heart and soul into this restaurant since last April, and our hearts break for them to have experienced this tragedy as such new business owners," apprentice Frankie Hendriks said.

Seville, a town of around 2,500 people, has rallied around the store and donated to an online fundraiser helping the business continue to pay expenses while repairs are organised.

The tobacconist fire is the latest in a string of similar crimes believed by police to be connected to a violent war over Melbourne's illicit tobacco and vape trade.