Twenty birds and other pets were killed and multiple businesses were destroyed in fire on Long Island Tuesday night.
The fire started around 9 p.m. on West Merrick Road in Valley Stream, first igniting in Ben & Tony’s Barbershop before spreading to nearby businesses, according to the Valley Stream Fire Department.
It took around 45 minutes for 50 firefighters facing heavy smoke and flames to get the blaze under control.
Despite the efforts, which also included crews from Elmont and Lawrence-Cedarhurst, the barbershop was left in ruins. Two adjoining businesses — a shoe repair shop and Junior’s Juice Bar & Jerk Pit — also sustained heavy damage .
Photos of the aftermath showed the burnt-out interior of the barbershop. Videos taken Wednesday morning showed the front of the store boarded up, while glass was smashed and merchandise tossed around in the neighboring shops.
No human injuries were reported, but Nassau County police said around 20 birds, an unknown number of fish and possibly turtles belonging to the occupants were killed.
“I jumped in a car and headed this way as fast as I could,” Ben Karshigiyev, who’s owned the barbershop for 22 years, told News 12 Long Island. “I wanted to save my birds. I had parakeets, parrots here. Unfortunately, I lost all of them.”
The Nassau County Fire Marshal’s Office and the Nassau police arson/bomb squad are investigating the incident, but have so far said the fire does not seem suspicious.
