Closed For A Month: Downtown Fire Devastates Local Businesses

Port Chester firefighters knocked down at a Main Street building within minutes, but the fallout continues for those impacted by the fire.

Along with the 16 people left homeless in the wake of the electrical fire, of the building is putting serious strain on 44-48 Main St.'s ground-floor tenants: business owners.

Jamie Arcuri, owner of Arcuri's Pizza & Salad, and Frank Blasi, owner of , have been out of business for a week since last Thursday's blaze.

The building remains off-limits, with code enforcement placards warning against entry as authorities . Among the repairs necessary before the ground-floor businesses can re-open: a complete rehaul of the building's electrical system.

For Arcuri and Blasi, that means the prospect of another month without customers or income.

"It's just devastating," Arcuri said. "We have employees who are counting on us and depending on the jobs, and we feel responsible for that, not to mention we have an investment, we have bills."

Blasi, who caters to a mix of commuters and locals at his family-owned grill across from the Metro-North station, said it was important to him as a Port Chester native to open up a business in his hometown and become a part of the revitalization efforts.

As regulars at the grill move on to other lunch spots, Blasi said he just wants to be able to open his doors and go back to work.

"I could've opened up in Rye or Greenwich and I didn't," he said. "I wanted to open up a nice place in my town, and I hope my town backs me up on this."

Check back with Port Chester Patch on Sunday for photos of the closed businesses, video interviews with business owners, and the latest on the Department of Code Enforcement's investigation.

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