AURORA, Colo. — Flames have long been extinguished at the apartment building at Peoria Street and Colfax Avenue in Aurora, but the fire's impact still lingers.
Madoussou Diakate has experienced three weeks of slow business due to cleanup around the apartment building. Her store, CC Hair Braiding, is just down the street from the charred building.
Since the fire on Dec. 16, Peoria Street has been closed between 14th and 17th avenues in both directions. Colfax Avenue between Moline and Peoria streets has also been closed in both directions.
"It affect us a lot," Diakate said.
Diakate's store offers hair and skin products from Africa and hair braiding services. She said she's used to having 20 to 30 customers a day, with at least eight braiding clients.
"And now we got only one," Diakate said, pointing to a woman getting her hair done. "One customer in the chair."
She said the road closures have been frustrating for her and her customers. She said she knows some of them aren't coming due to the inconvenience the detours have caused.
"They cannot get to us," Diakate said. "Sometimes they give up and go to other business to do their hair."
She said she even had to close for three days after the fire due to smoke. She said it's been challenging for all businesses off Peoria and Colfax since flames engulfed the apartment on the corner.
"This shopping center, we all struggle," Diakate said. "Not only me."
LivWell, a dispensary off of Peoria, has a parking lot separating the business from the apartment building. On its door, it had a notice to customers that the parking lot is temporarily closed and it would be closing four hours early each day until further notice.
Diakate is hoping roads re-open soon. Luckily, her wish may come true as early as next week.
Aurora Fire Rescue said roads around the apartment building are expected to open "within the next week." Demolition crews began tearing down what was left standing of the building earlier this week.
Diakate said she looks forward to seeing her customers again and business bounce back once roads open.
"It's not easy," Diakate said. "Really at all. I'm calling for help from everybody."
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