Worried about employees, business owner heartbroken after Hialeah barbershop set ablaze
MIAMI - A Hialeah barbershop is ruined after a fire tore through the business Friday morning and what is most disturbing is that witnesses reported seeing some men starting the blaze.
The barbershop's owner tells CBS News Miami he had just acquired the store two weeks ago. Now, it's closed, completely boarded up.
Charred chairs, broken glass, and shattered dreams are what's left following the early morning fire.
Shop owner Ariel Esquivel, speaking in Spanish to us, shared his heartbreak. He says he is distraught over the damage and that his barbers are temporarily out of a job. He says an early morning call from his security company alerted him to a potential problem at his shop.
At around 3:40 a.m., Hialeah police told CBS News Miami they rushed to the shop at this strip mall on West 49th Street.
In the early hours, smoke funneled out the back after fire crews contained flames. The fire's glow dimmed as rain fell hours later, exposing damage at every turn.
Hialeah Police added that two witnesses shared they saw men starting the fire by the Barber Shop. The State Fire Marshal's Office and the Hialeah Fire Prevention Bureau are actively assisting in the investigation to find those responsible.
Esquivel could not explain how it happened, leaving it to the police to investigate.
From what we saw, some neighboring stores suffered smoke damage. At the bakery next door, its owner shared off camera that she felt spared, with only her glass door smashed in by fire crews, she says, rushing in to contain the fire.
We also saw the strip mall's owner speaking with tenants and checking in to see how everyone was holding up, but he did not wish to talk to us.
Hialeah police say there is surveillance video showing what potentially happened, causing the fire. We're still waiting to receive a copy as investigators work to determine the motive and cause.