MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Fire crews responded to a house fire near South 13th Street that spread from Dominican Barber Shop on Friday, March 23.
The Milwaukee Fire Department said no one was injured, but the barber shop was completely destroyed.
The owner of Dominican Barber Shop shared he's been at that spot for two years, often giving haircuts to baseball players and others in the community.
Many in the community stopped in awe at the leftover rubble and debris that lay there Saturday afternoon.
"I heard all of the fire sirens going and I connected the dots, but I never imagined this to be this bad. It’s insane," Esmeralda Leon said.
Leon works at a restaurant across the street, Taqueria La Sierrita. She said her boss across called 911 when he saw the flames pour out of the building.
"It's really sad to see someone’s hard work and small business destroyed. Especially because we’re a small business ourselves and that makes you reflect," Leon said.
Another barbershop right across the street, 05 Gold Barbershop, said a tragedy like the the fire can destroy a dream.
"You put a lot of money going in and you lose a lot from clients. It goes a long way" Christopher Colon, a barber at 05 Gold, shared.
"This makes me want to disconnect everything, any charger I have for the instruments I use to cut people up, and just disconnect cables before I leave."
According to Milwaukee Fire Battalion Chief Brian Gardner, it took about two hours and 50 firemen to put out the flames. He added there were no problems in putting out the fire and everything went as smoothly as possible.
The cause of the fire is still unknown and under investigation by MFD, according to Gardner.
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