Blaze damages tailoring shop

Deepa Bharath

NEWPORT BEACH -- It was exactly five years Sunday since Elaine Blue

opened her custom tailoring store on Via Lido.

Less than a year ago, she expanded her business, Robertino’s, to

include tuxedo sales and rentals and moved to a building on Newport

Boulevard that was double the square footage.

“I couldn’t believe it’s been five years,” Blue said.

But such pleasant musings on her anniversary were abruptly cut off

when she was called Sunday -- her day off -- and told that her store was

on fire.

Firefighters responded to the call that came in about 2:47 p.m. and

saw smoke creeping out of the building, said Newport Beach Fire Capt. Don

Bradbury.

He said firefighters had to make a hole into the roof and break some

of the windows to get into the building.

“There was a small fire in the back of the building, but it was mostly

smoke,” Bradbury said.

There is no estimate of damages yet, but he said the clothes inside

the store must have suffered severe smoke damage. Bradbury said he did

not know what caused the fire but said he did not suspect arson.

Blue said she was “shocked and in disbelief.”

“This is my worst nightmare,” she said tearfully, looking into her

dark store.

Firefighters and investigators were inspecting the shop floor where

several headless mannequins fitted with tuxedos still stood. Glass pieces

from the broken windows lay strewn around.

Blue said this was the first and only business she ever owned.

“It was all just the way I wanted it,” she said. “And now,

everything’s ruined. I don’t know what I’m going to do. This was my

life.”

Bradbury said the building itself suffered very little damage --

mostly from firefighters making their entry.

“It’s fortunate it happened like this during the day,” he said. “We

couldn’t have stopped the fire at an early stage if it had happened in

the middle of the night.”

* Deepa Bharath covers public safety and courts. She may be reached at

(949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at o7 deepa.bharath@latimes.comf7 .