Clifton “Re” Hopkins shook his head as he looked at the black, charred building that once housed his business, Re’s Barber Shop at the corner of Fremaux Drive and Sixth Street in Slidell.

“This is just crazy,” Hopkins said.

Early Friday morning, a fire gutted Hopkins’ business, effectively closing him down after two years of operation.

The rear of Re s Barber Shop on Fremaux Ave. was destroyed by fire Thursday night in Slidell (Staff Photo by Erik Sanzenbach)

Chief Neil Ricca of Fire District One said firefighters arrived at the scene at 12:08 a.m. Friday to find the shop fully engulfed in flames. Adding to the danger of fighting the fire, firefighters had to deal with downed power lines that were arcing in the street.

“It was a pretty hazardous situation,” Ricca said.

It took 22 firefighters less than half an hour to bring the fire under control, Ricca said, but the damage to Re’s Barber Shop was extensive.

The front of the building facing Fremaux Drive almost looks untouched, except for a long burn mark on the bottom. However, the back and sides of the building are totally destroyed, and the interior is nothing but twisted furniture and blackened barber shop equipment.

There were no injuries from the fire, Ricca said, and nearby homes were not in any danger from the flames.

Ricca said the fire department and the Slidell Police Department are investigating the blaze. He said the cause of the fire is unknown at the present time.

However, Friday morning, while firefighters and police combed over the site of the blaze, a tired and angry Hopkins voiced suspicions the fire was started deliberately. According to him, someone “tampered” with the back door.

Hopkins’ suspicions are fueled by complaints from residents in the area.

“I’ve had problems ever since I moved here two years ago,” Hopkins said.

He said that neighbors have complained about his customers parking in the street. In April, all the windows in his shop were broken.

Capt. Kevin O’Neil of the Slidell Police Department confirmed that police investigated a vandalism call at Re’s Barber Shop in April.

“It happened in the middle of the night, and most of the windows were smashed out,” O’Neill said.

Hopkins thinks the short time between the vandalism and the fire is “pretty strange,”

Several months ago at a public meeting for the Slidell Master Plan, several residents who live near the barber shop voiced displeasure with the shop’s clientele. They said customers were making a lot of noise at night and parking their cars on people’s lawns and blocking driveways.

“People just don’t want me here,” Hopkins said. “I won’t sugar coat it, but they don’t want me here because I’m black.”

Hopkins is a native of Slidell and said he played football for Pearl River High School. He owned another barber shop on West Hall Street for 10 years before he moved to his present location.

Despite Hopkins’ suspicions, Ricca said no one should speculate on what happened and everyone should wait until the police and fire departments are finished with their investigations.