By:Anthony Rifilato
One hundred firemen and eight trucks battled the blaze as it raged at the troubled bar, at 2394 Grand Ave., early last Sunday morning. The fire, which occurred at 3:30 a.m., was extinguished in less than an hour. No one was injured.
Police have deemed the fire suspicious because an accelerant was found at the bar. They explained that the investigation was just beginning, and could not provide many details.
Cousins had been closed for about a month following the arrest of owner Frank Wilson. Wilson was charged with second-degree criminal use of a firearm and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon after he allegedly fired a .40-caliber handgun at a car in front of his establishment on Feb. 21, following what police said was an argument with one of his patrons. If convicted, Wilson could face up to seven years in jail.
Wilson did not return the Herald's calls at press time.
Last year there were several shootings over a period of three months at or near Cousins. The latest shooting prompted several residents to voice their outrage at a town meeting with Legislator Joe Scannell (D-Baldwin) last week, when they asked police officials about the string of shootings and called for Cousins to be shut down (see story below).
Because Cousins is sandwiched between a laundromat and F and J Classic Cigars, firefighters had to enter those businesses in order to make sure the fire did not spread.
The Cousins sign was charred and melted the day after the fire, and the acrid smell of smoke lingered outside. Although F and J was not damaged by the fire, it was inundated with smoke.
Inside F and J, the sheet rock from the ceiling panels was torn down and strewn on the floor, along with mangled aluminum, glass shards and other debris.
"We received a lot of smoke damage," said F and J co-owner Miles Fox, noting that the black leather couches and some overturned cigar chairs were damaged. "All of this stuff has to come out."
F and J opened in 2002, and was considered by many to be a gem in a blighted section of Baldwin's downtown. "Our customers are very upset," said co-owner Frank Saez.
Saez and Fox said that although firefighters ripped out sheet rock and paneling inside the large cigar humidor, not one cigar box was overturned, and everything was in its place. But because of the toxins in the smoke, the cigars are now useless, they said.
Still, Saez and Fox explained that they are hoping to stay in the area despite the smoke damage, and may reopen the store in four to six weeks. "Thank god no one was hurt, that's the main thing," said Saez.
