'It's destroyed.' Longtime Nassau business destroyed by fire
The owners of House of Donuts are devastated. Maria Kefalas and her family have the business since the 1970s.
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Half a dozen Hicksville businesses are picking up the pieces after an early morning fire ripped through their stores.
The Nassau County Fire Marshal's Office said the fire started in the basement of Halal Munchies around 12:30 a.m. Workers at Halal Munchies said the store was open when the fire started and the two people inside were workers.
Officials said the fire quickly spread from Halal Munchies to House of Donuts next door. Neighbors, including the South Asian Times, Gupta Tax & Accounting, Print Early and Chic Couture by Farah also suffered fire, smoke and water damage.
The owners of House of Donuts are devastated. Maria Kefalas and her family have the business since the 1970s.
The windows and doors are all boarded up.
"I serve every morning the same people. Every morning," says Kefalas. "It's like family every morning."
When her family got the call overnight that a fire broke out, they were shocked.
"We were crying and running out of the house," says Kefalas. "I saw the basement a little bit. It's destroyed, the water, ceilings, floors, everything, all the inventory."
"We wanted to come see if it was true. We were hoping it wasn't true," says Anne, a customer.
Kefalas says they met with inspectors and the health department. They say because of the damage, no one is allowed in yet to get a firsthand look of the damage.
Now, they're setting their sights on getting re-opened as soon as possible.
Investigators say the fire is not considered suspicious, but are still investigating the exact cause.
Officials say there was a gas leak caused by the fire.
