NORTHEAST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A beauty salon was left gutted after a fierce fire. The owner of that salon has been there for more than 15 years, and in an instant she lost her livelihood.
Exotic Cuts Salon was consumed and gutted after a fire sparked, Saturday afternoon.
The salon stood at the corner of West Dixie Highway and Northeast 190th Street for the last 16 years.
The owner of the salon, Edith Leal, watched as her business burned.
“Numbed, numbness all over,” said Leal.
The salon is now all boarded up.
Photos given to 7News show what the inside the salon looked like before and after the fire.
“I don’t even have my comb, everything,” said Leal.
She told 7News the nightmare began when she had received a phone call from an employee.”
“She said, ‘Edith there’s smoke coming out from the walls,'” said Leal.
She rushed to the salon, but it was already too late.
“By the time I’m here, took another two minutes, black smoke was coming out from both ends,” said Leal. “It was a big ball of flame all over.”
Without insurance, she faces a long road to rebuild her business.
Leal’s children flew in to be with her during this difficult time, and her clients have been reaching to help as well.
Despite the loss, Leal said she has many things to be thankful about.
“For some reason I lost everything. I feel happy because how people responded to me,” she said. “There’s hope. No matter how bad things can be, there is hope in life.”
Investigators said the fire was caused by an electrical issue.
To donate to Leal’s GoFundMe in hopes of rebuilding her business, click here.
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