BUSINESSES DAMAGED IN VAN NUYS FIRE.

Byline: Jesse Hiestand Daily News Staff Writer

A fire tore through a two-story building Thursday, heavily damaging three businesses, slightly injuring a firefighter and claiming the life of a parrot that was the longtime mascot at one of the companies.

The cause of the blaze in the 15000 block of Delano Street was not immediately known but fire officials estimated the damage at more than $300,000.

``We're not sure where it started but it went into the second story and attic and took out most of the building,'' said Los Angeles City Fire Department Division Chief Bill Ward.

The cause will be determined by arson investigators, as is done in all major fires, Ward said.

The two co-owners of Earth & Air Landscaping were the only people in the brick building when the fire broke out about 6 p.m.

``We were just about to close the building when smoke started coming through the walls so we called 911,'' said Alon Sahar, who founded the business with his brother Avrad Alon 12 years ago.

``Our whole life is in there - millions of dollars of contracts,'' Avrad Alon said, surveying the aftermath of the blaze, which took 55 firefighters about 45 minutes to knock down. ``My fireproof safe was open. I didn't have a chance to close it.''

Equally devastated were the employees of the building's prime tenant, All Valley Washer Service, six of whom gathered in front of the building to support each other with hugs and condolences.

``It's heartbreaking,'' said Bob Feinstein, who built the building 11 years ago and was a partner in the washing machine business with his brother, Ron Feinstein, the company's president. ``Everything's gone. It looks like the whole place will have to be gutted.''

The third tenant was a computer parts wholesaler.

Flames were shooting through the roof when crews arrived and began battling the blaze from both inside the building and the roof. Commanders ordered an evacuation of the building out of fear that the roof and a mezzanine might collapse.

After pulling back, fire crews turned their hoses on the flames using eight engines and five ladder trucks.

``We had a heck of a fire fight there,'' said city fire department spokesman Brian Humphrey. ``We were able to mount an aggressive attack and hold it to that one structure.''

A 31-year-old firefighter suffered minor smoke inhalation and was taken for observation to Northridge Hospital Medical Center, Humphrey said.

Firefighters later went into the offices of All Valley Washer Service and found the parrot, ``Kutter,'' dead in its cage. For more than a decade, employees had considered it the company pet.

``Everybody loved Kutter,'' said Tom Klein, service manager at the company. All Valley Washer Service, founded 40 years ago in Van Nuys, installs and maintains about 35,000 coin-operated washers across California.

Among other losses in the fire were a number of tropical fish, whose tank burst because of the heat.

For sales manager John Cottrell, the fire consumed several irreplacable family photos.

``I can see my file cabinet up there with my pictures - it's toast,'' said Cottrell, who was joined by his wife, Cheryl, and 2-1/2-year-old daughter Caitlin. ``When I would have a stressful day I would look over and there's a picture of my little girl. I can't replace those pictures.''