MORRIS HEIGHTS, The Bronx (PIX11) — A week after she was severely injured in a fire at a popular barbershop where she was herself popular, Shantii Quinones has died.
Shantii, 39, went by her first name only and developed a very strong, positive reputation for her hair-braiding skills and her kindheartedness. After the barbershop, near the corner of Davidson Avenue on Burnside Avenue, was consumed in an intense fire on August 20, Shantii was one of five people who were injured, and one of two with severe burns. She ultimately succumbed to the harm the fire did to her health.
At an all-day vigil for the Bronx native at a memorial that had been set up in her honor in front of the University Avenue building where she lived, Shanti’s father placed his hand on one of her photos.
“My baby, right here,” he said, and then kissed her picture.
The father, Manuel Quinones, was among a steady stream of people who kept stopping by the memorial all day long on Friday. A similarly large memorial with dozens of candles, photos, flowers and keepsakes was set up in front of La Roka Barbershop, the scene of the fire.
What the outpouring of support shows, said her father, is that “everybody knew her.”
“Everybody had mad love for her,” he added.
The flames had been so intense that they left Shantii in grave condition. Her father said that the situation left him and the rest of her family with a dire choice.
“It was a hard decision to unplug my daughter” from machinery that allowed her to stay alive. Quinones said. “Ninety percent of her body was burned. Oh God, give me strength,” he said.
His daughter was remembered as an artisan hair braider who’d practiced her trade on hundreds of clients in the barbershop space.
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According to the FDNY, a lithium-ion battery fire consumed the shop and led ultimately to Shantii’s death.
Now, though, she’s being commemorated for her life. People who knew her — of whom there are many — said that she lived her life beautifully.
“Outside of her being a great hairstylist and artistic talent,” said Stephon Warner, a close friend, “she was a confidant. She was a friend. She was a mother.”
Erimilda Rosario, a family friend, spoke for many in her assessment of Shantii.
“Everybody knew her,” Rosario said. “She was a wonderful person.”
The Friday vigil ended with a balloon release in Shantii’s honor.
Warner, her friend, is also the president of the tenant association in her building. It’s organizing a community day event on Sunday, the third annual observance of the occasion. This year, it will be officially dedicated to Shantii, Warner said.
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