AKRON, Ohio — Yellow tape and blackened bricks remain on the ground a week after a major fire gutted Images of You Hair Salon and the apartments above it on West Exchange Street in the Highland Square neighborhood of Akron.
The devastation is hard to stomach for John Rader, who owns part of the building, lived in one of the apartments, and has a special connection to the salon.
"I built the salon for her. It's kind of overwhelming to think about having to do any of it again," Rader said.
Rader said he was doing some painting and window work upstairs last Tuesday. At one point, he went downstairs and outside when he realized flames were shooting out of the building. He doesn't know how the fire started.
"I heard crackling like a bonfire. I couldn't get into other apartments. They [the flames] were too high," he said.
It's clear the salon and some of the apartments are a total loss. The damage to LeeAngelo's Pizza next door is not as evident from the outside. However, owner Angelo Gonzales said there is extensive water, smoke and electrical damage inside the building and all of the food was lost.
"It was very emotional, a lot of tears. It's really out of a horror movie," Gonzales said.
He estimated it will take six months to repair the damage and reopen.
Gonzales said a GoFundMe page has been set up to help employees who can't be paid while the business is shut down.
"My priority is my team right now," he said.
Rader said he's grateful that four residents and all of the employees at the businesses escaped unharmed.
"I'm glad there is nothing there for me to have to run in for— a wife or kids or anything like that. I don't think I would have made it out," he said.
Tim Morrison, a spokesman for the Akron Fire Department, said the investigation is ongoing and the cause of the fire hasn't been determined yet.
Despite the difficult ordeal, Gonzales said he's staying positive and focusing on the future.
"This isn't gonna stop us. We're gonna come back pretty strong. We're gonna come back better than ever."
Watch live and local news any time:
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
