by M.C. Millman

 

Fire officials suggest that an e-bike was the likely source of a fire that ripped through a Veloz Barbershop on North Main Street in Spring Valley Thursday. 

Although the fire department extinguished the fire within ten minutes, the store was completely gutted.

The damage started in the front of the store after a witness heard a loud popping noise and claimed to have seen a bike on fire in front of the store. 

"We have known about the dangers of e-bike fires for a long time," Hillcrest Fire Company Assistant Chief Orin Ben-Jacob shares with Rockland Daily,  "but we have been training nonstop to learn the right methods to put them out and prevent any additional damage. The fire department was on scene within 1 minute of being dispatched to this fire, and our crews made an aggressive interior attack that was able to keep the damage to one store. Fires in commercial buildings can spread very quickly horizontally due to cocklofts and openings. Our firefighters did a great job."

All occupants of the barbershop were able to escape through the back door. No injuries were reported, but fire officials say the business is a complete loss.

Photo Credit: Hillcrest Fire Company