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by JEFF HARRELL
Fire yesterday destroyed the inside of a long-standing Stapleton music shop located in the heart of a retail district experiencing an influx of new businesses.
Battalion 21 Chief Mike Feminella said the fire "came through the front window" of the music store, Neza Mexico Music Inc., at 640 Bay St.
The fire, which started at about 9:45 a.m., "also and got into the roof" over the store," Feminella said.
"There was an old gas line in the roof that just let go. We had to turn the [gas] service off to get to it. There was also an electrical problem," he said.
Feminella said the official cause of the fire would be determined by the city fire marshall but it was not deemed suspicious.
As witnesses watched from across Bay Street, fire and smoke gushed through the front of the music store and from the windows of the two floors above it.
'WENT UP QUICK'
"It went up quick," said Seth Melendez, who was asleep in his apartment at 644 Bay St. when his girl friend woke him to warn him about the fire next door. "By the time I came down, it had started on the ground and was already up to the top [of the building]."
Alex Communications, which sits next to the music store in the same building, sustained minor damages.
Neza Mexico Music and the rooms on the upper floor of the building were empty when neighbors first spotted heavy smoke engulf the ground-floor shop.
Neighbors said a woman inside Alex Communications was ordered outside by firefighters when they arrived.
Susie Nicholson of Stapleton was eating breakfast with her 7-year-old grandson, Dennis Richardson, inside Jerry's Diner across the street when they saw smoke billowing from the store's awning and flames shooting off electrical lines.
"The lights went out inside the restaurant, and we looked out and saw the smoke," said Ms. Nicholson.
Electrical power went out inside on both sides of the block, from Canal Street to Thompson Street, with the exception of Discount Bedding and the Macumba Cafe.
Although the fire was brought under control at 10:21 a.m., the block's merchants and residents were without power for several hours. Electricity was restored at approximately 1:30 p.m., according to several shop owners.
The music shop and communications store are part of the Stapleton business district along Bay Street -- an integral part of the city's plan to spend $66 million on infrastructure improvements and develop the home port as a magnet for the North Shore arts community.
IMPROVEMENTS
Residents point to several retail outlets that have recently hung new signs on storefronts, including Wyndla's Boutique & Hair Salon at 638 Bay St., next to Neza Mexico Music.
Owner Fatima Lonfo opened Wyndla's just three weeks ago. The fire did not affect her store.
Alex Communications has served the local Hispanic community with Western Union service to Latin American countries for over a year.
Feminella said that while fire and smoke engulfed the music shop and the rooms above the communications outlet, damages weren't heavy enough to shut down the ground-floor communications center.
Neza Mexico Music has been in operation for 15 years. Except for a display of CDs on a wall, the inside of the music shop was virtually destroyed.
"What can I do?" asked owner Sal Gonzalez as he surveyed the damages. "I'll just start over."
Four firefighters suffered "minor injuries" battling the flames and were taken to St. Vincent's Hospital, West Brighton, where they were treated and released.
Jeff Harrell covers police and fire news for the Advance. He may be reached at harrell@siadvance.com.
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