Police say an overnight fire at a barbershop in Halifax is being investigated as suspicious.
Halifax Regional Police say the blaze at Barran Barber Shop, located in the Bayers Road mall, was reported at around 1:15 a.m. Sunday.
Fire crews were able to extinguish the fire, and there were no injuries, officials said.
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The barbershop is owned and operated by two cousins who immigrated to Canada through a private sponsorship in 2017. One of the owners, Masoud Al Isso, worked as a barber back in Syria and wanted to continue his work in his new home.
“For the start, it was great things. It was one of their dreams come true,” Al Isso’s uncle, Omar, said, translating for his nephew.
“Unfortunately, I don’t know what’s going to happen … we gotta start again.”
According to Omar, Al Isso says the shop was just starting to build a solid base of customers before the fire.
“The way (the cousins) do their business (is) quite different,” said Omar. “That’s why (customers) like it. Every single man (who) comes to the shop one time, he will come back.”
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Despite the setback, the cousins don’t plan on throwing away their hard work. They have insurance and want their customers to know they’ll be back as soon as they’re able.
“We know it’s going to take time. We know they’re going to lose a lot of business, but this happens,” Omar said, translating for Al Isso.
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The exact cause of the fire remains unclear. Halifax Regional Police are asking anyone with information to contact them or reach out to Crime Stoppers.
—With files from Alicia Draus