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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-04-24 Euless ArticlesOne person died and a firefighter was injured in a restaurant fire in Euless Firefighters from four departments battled a two-alarm blaze early Saturday before finding one person dead inside Napoli's Italian Cafe Ben Saldino BY MITCH MITCHELL mitchmitchell@star-telegram.com April 14, 2018 02:29 PM EULESS Firefighters found a person dead as they searched through the burned out remains of Napoli's Italian Cafe early Saturday. Euless firefighters responded to a 911 call that came in about 3:35 a.m. and found smoke pouring from the building, according to a press release from the Euless Fire Department. The victim was identified as Jeton Nasufi, 36, of Hurst, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner's website on Sunday. He was pronounced dead at 4:15 a.m. Saturday. A ruling on his death is pending an autopsy. Nasufi was the owner of Napoli's Italian Cafe, according to local television news reports. Owner Found Dead Inside Burning Euless Restaurant Tony Nasufi (Family Photo) EULESS (CBSDFW.COM) – The owner of a beloved Italian restaurant in Euless is dead after it went up in flames early Saturday morning. Firefighters found heavy smoke coming from Napoli’s Italian Cafe on West Euless Boulevard at around 3:30 a.m. Crews from several neighboring cities were called to help. Inside the building, firefighters found the body of Tony Nasufi. Family and friends confirmed the identity of the body as the owner. They said he opened up the family restaurant nearly 15 years ago when he was just 21 years old. Tony Hajro, Nasufi’s uncle, said his nephew was painting tables in the attic after he closed the restaurant for the day. He believes the fire started in the attic while Nasufi was sleeping. “He went to the office to take a nap. And I guess he got caught in his sleep,” said Hajro Nasufi’s former manager said he poured his heart into his business. “It’s a loss not just for his family but for the community. He did a lot of charity work for the school district… for the police department,” said Charla Whitson. A fire official said he doesn’t believe there was anything suspicious about the fire. Officials are still investigating the cause of the fire. Euless restaurant owner remembered as a friend ‘who thought of everyone else first’ BY ELIZABETH CAMPBELL liz@star-telegram.com April 16, 2018 05:12 PM Jeton “Tony” Nasufi, center of front row in T-shirt, posed for a photo with Euless police and members of the Euless Small Business Association on April 10. City of Euless EULESS Jeton “Tony” Nasufi had been friends with David Hofer, the Euless police officer who was shot and killed on March 1, 2016 in a city park. On April 10, Nasufi presented a check for $554 from the Euless Small Business Association to the Euless Police Department in honor of Hofer. The amount matched Hofer’s badge number and will be used by patrol officers to help people who need groceries or a place to stay. Nasufi, the owner of Napoli’s Italian Cafe, relished giving back to the Hurst- Euless-Bedford community, which is now mourning his loss. Nasufi, 36, who lived in Hurst, died early Saturday when a fire swept through Napoli’s, a popular restaurant at the corner of Texas 10 and Raider Drive in Euless. “Tony gave a lot not just to Euless but to Bedford and Tarrant County,” said Eric Love, a friend for more than a decade. A Euless firefighter was injured during the fire when a partial interior wall collapsed and was treated and released from Texas Health Methodist Hurst- Euless-Bedford Hospital. The investigation into the cause of the fire is still ongoing, city officials said Monday. Nasufi opened his Italian restaurant 15 years ago and spent most of his waking hours there, Love said. “He was always working at his restaurant,” Love said. “Whether it was 1 in the afternoon or 1 in the morning, I would find him there.” Ron Tipton, president of the Euless Small Business Association, said he and other members ate lunch at Napoli’s to make the donation to Euless police. Nasufi was a member. “I was just getting to know him, and I’m sad that I’m not going to have a chance to know Tony better,” Tipton said. “A young man’s life was taken too soon.” Love said that his friend helped a youth sports team that did not have money to buy equipment and jerseys, giving them $1,000. Love also recalled another occasion when a Girl Scout came by selling cookies, Nasufi bought over 100 boxes. “Tony was just so full of life,” Love said. “He was the guy I would go to when I wanted to bring someone to his restaurant for dinner. He thought of everyone else first.” Nasufi’s funeral is 2 p.m. Tuesday at Restland Cemetery, 13005 Greevnville Ave., Dallas. 'Good luck' and other letters April 19, 2018 01:55 PM Interstate 35W in 2016 Good luck Before raving about the opening of the Interstate 35W toll road, try getting on Loop 820 west from Texas 183. Every day, traffic is stopped, backed up a half mile. The toll costs about $12 from Euless to North Beach street — too much. So you still wait in the same traffic as before the toll opened in the free lanes. From 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. — good luck making dinner. It is bad planning. Three different roads of traffic are dumping down to Loop 820, and trying to merge left is tough.