Baldwin fire claims several Merrick Road businesses

"I lost everything and I have nothing," said a woman named Betty, as she looked at the charred remains of an apartment she had lived in for the past 11 years.

Breaking down into tears, Betty explained how she had gone downstairs from her second-floor apartment above John's Haircutters the previous night to see where a cloud of smoke was coming from, at which point Baldwin firefighters told her there was a fire and she could not go back upstairs, even though her cat was still in her apartment. "I lost my cat, and she's all I had," she said. "I have no one. I have nowhere to go."

It was a similar story for many shell-shocked tenants and business owners who lost nearly everything when a massive fire swept through a Merrick Road building in downtown Baldwin late May 3.

Baldwin Fire Department officials on the scene the next morning said it appeared that the fire had begun in the basement below Pizza Garden at about 10:45 p.m. and quickly spread to the second floor. Firefighters tried to extinguish the flames inside Pizza Garden, but when the fire grew more powerful, they were given the order to fall back. The fire soon spread into other parts of the building.

By the time firefighters got the blaze under control — they were still extinguishing hot spots at 6 the next morning — the fire had all but destroyed the New Old Venice Inn, Pizza Garden, John's Haircutters, Linda's Knit-Pick and Anabell's Hair Studio. In total, 15 fire departments responded to the fire, with Baldwin F.D. 1st Deputy Chief Kevin Smith directing operations.

Seven firefighters suffered minor injuries, but no one else was hurt.

It was a surreal scene the next morning, with residents standing in shock on Merrick Road across from the damaged building as workers and business owners began shoveling debris out of their stores. Merrick Road was closed to traffic between Grand Avenue and 1st Precinct headquarters.

Joe Russo, four-year owner of the New Old Venice Inn — commonly referred to as NOVI — said he and other business owners had signed a deal with the Town of Hempstead to split the cost of improving the facade of some Merrick Road storefronts. That was supposed to happen in the next couple of months, Russo said, but now he is not sure what will happen to the popular Baldwin eatery.

"It's still unclear if we can build within ... or start over," Russo said, rarely taking his eyes off what was left of his restaurant, which has been in Baldwin since 1937. His voice cracking with emotion as he fought back tears, he added, "It's just ... so much of an uncertainty."

Michael Hoffman, 16, who lived in an apartment above NOVI with his mother, sister and nephew, recalled that he didn't realize anything was wrong at the time of the fire, even though the fire alarms were blaring. Living above a couple of restaurants, Hoffman said, it wasn't uncommon for the alarms to sound or to smell smoke. Luckily, the family realized the danger in time to get out of the apartment. Their possessions, however, weren't so lucky.

"I lost all of my stuff," Hoffman said. "There's nothing I can really do."

Hoffman said he has relatives and close friends who have offered shelter for him and his family.

Two onlookers, Anne and Bud Jacobs, said they had lived in the Baldwin area their entire lives, and recalled many good times eating pizza at NOVI. "I can't believe it," Anne said. "It's devastating — horrifying."

When asked what the area meant to them, Bud replied, "It's history. It sure is history."

As of press time, the cause of the fire had not been determined, and it was unclear whether the building could be salvaged or will need to be demolished.

Comments about this story? MRusso@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.