A fire closed a busy portion of the Bedford Highway Tuesday morning and has forced new businesses to start from scratch.
Halifax Fire said they had seven trucks at the scene near the old Esquire Motel, about 10 kilometres from the centre of the city near the intersection with Millview Avenue.
Four of the eight units suffered major smoke and water damage.
"Extensive damage to the barbershop unit and water and smoke damage to the adjacent units," said D/Comm. Lloyd Currie of Halifax Fire. “It's going to take a lot to get it up and running again.”
Firefighters found the barbershop full of flames upon arrival. It was put out quickly, but they had to cut a hole in the roof in order to do it.
No injuries were reported.
The owners followed insurance adjusters into their unit. They had planned to open sometime this month after receiving the last of their new equipment.
Owners say the facility was going to be more than a barbershop and would offer just about anything needed for men's grooming.
"This was the time to open after long, long, nights of planning and strategizing," said barbershop co-owner Terrence Hyacinth.
Hyacinth says the business was well insured and will open again, it’s just a matter of where and when. But he says it will be difficult.
"It's been very tiresome and it's unfortunate that this setback pushed us back,” said Hyacinth. “Now we have to go back to the drawing board."
The road was blocked off near the scene due to the gear being used to combat the blaze, forcing commuters to take detours throughout the morning rush hour.
The fire was reported to be under control by about 9 a.m., and the road opened to traffic shortly afterward.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ron Shaw.
