30 homeless in Valentine's Day fire

More than 30 people were made homeless in a Valentine's Day blaze in Hewlett that damaged apartments and businesses, including a flower shop.

On one of the busiest days of the year for a florist, Dale Sealy sadly surveyed the scene Tuesday afternoon.

"I'm devastated. Words can't express how I'm feeling," Sealy said as he stepped inside his store, Hewlett Florist, to check out the water damage.

Besides Sealy's shop, the two-story building at 1437 Broadway housed four apartments and three other businesses: the Hewlett Cafe; Cotton Nail Salon; and D'Angelo Italian Gourmet Deli.

Neither the apartments nor the stores will be habitable soon, officials said. There were no injuries, but 33 people were displaced, authorities said, and Red Cross spokesman Richard Schneider said his agency was helping to relocate them.

Nassau County Fire Marshal James Hickman said investigators have ruled the blaze accidental. Hewlett Fire Chief Ethan Lahey said the fire started in the kitchen of a rear apartment on the second floor, causing about $500,000 in damage to the structure.

Tuesday, Angel Fourier stood outside with about a dozen other residents waiting to be relocated and taken away by bus. Fourier said he got a call from his wife about the fire. "I ran home. I've never been so scared. There's a lot of homeless people right now."

Thomas Merges, the cafe owner, said he was working in the restaurant when he smelled smoke. "I came outside and saw smoke coming from the roof. Just black smoke and flames," sometime between 11:30 a.m. and noon.

Fourteen fire departments responded to the 11:46 a.m. call. The blaze was declared under control by 12:30 p.m.

The florist said the fire broke out just as he was getting bouquets ready to be delivered, and preparing for the usual last-minute rush of boyfriends and husbands expected at the end of the day.

Sealy estimated he lost about $7,000 of the usual $10,000 he makes on Valentine's Day. Instead, he was calling customers, telling them there would be no flowers Tuesday.

"I have good customers. They'll understand," he said.

One young woman displaced by the fire held a box of chocolates and a card a friend gave her that said "Happy unValentine's Day," a joke related to her dislike of the lovers' holiday. "It's another reason to hate it," said the woman, who did not want to give her name as she stood outside looking at what the fire had wrought.

With Patricia Kitchen

and Olivia Winslow