BALTIMORE — Heavy smoke and flames took their toll on the four-story apartment building on West Saratoga Street, but it was the water used to extinguish the fire that caused part of a neighboring barber shop called Presentable Cutz to cave in.
“There’s a little cosmetic damage in there as far as sheetrock and things like that, but the real damage is next door,” said the owner, Marquest Bunch, “That’s the real damage, like the people are homeless now.”
The on-site property manager says it appears that the fire started in a top floor apartment—-one, which had been rented by a longtime resident for some 25 years.
Residents from a total of six apartments all successfully evacuated and are now being aided by the American Red Cross.
While no one suffered injuries, there is still the cost to businesses like Marquest Bunch’s.
“Oh man, this is a tough blow for us. This is a very tough blow for us,” said Bunch, “Hopefully, we’ll be open by Monday or Tuesday.”
As well as the uncertainty now surrounding a prospective new business that had been set to open soon in the bottom floor of the scorched building.
“Miss Rose Kitchen is a Jamaican food stop,” said Owner Ziggy Lewis, “I’ve been working on it since September. I was trying to get it open before the new year. It’s a lot of water damage and equipment. Downstairs, though, nothing got burned. Just water damage.”
Investigators have not yet determined the cause of the fire.
