The owner of an Indian takeaway in Beaconsfield has been left “broken” after a kitchen fire sees the restaurant closed for the foreseeable future.
Fire crews were called to Basmati on Aylesbury End in the old town on Bank Holiday Monday (August 29) after smoke could be seen rising into the sky at just after 3pm.
Whilst the restaurant was running a stall at the county fair, the owner was alerted of smoke coming from the site.
Cllr Mohammad Khaled, who has owned the restaurant for 18 years and recently spent £77,000 refurbishing the building inside, was left in tears when seeing the damage.
He said: “The kitchen is totally finished, there is nothing left. It’s totally burned.
“I refurbed the restaurant and spent £77,000 and now I’m back to zero, not even zero I’m on minus.
“I have got nothing left to survive and I don’t know how long the insurance company and all the investigation is going to take.
The owner went on to reveal that one other room is totally burned whilst another room is half damaged.
He added: “I am totally broken. I was crying, I’m still crying and I don’t what to do.
“We want to come back as quickly as possible. The staff is really shattered, and the chef is totally broken down.
Photos from the scene showed the restaurant sealed off, with two fire crews and officers in attendance.
Firefighters could be seen coming and going from the building, with the flames appearing to be out.
A Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "One appliance and crew from Beaconsfield, two from High Wycombe, one from Whitely Wood and from Gerrards Cross attended, along with two officers.
“The fire was in a ground floor kitchen of a commercial building and affected the ground floor and first floor of the building."
During the incident, local councillor Jackson Ng said on Twitter: "Heavy smoke in Beaconsfield Old Town this afternoon.
“Fire in one of the local restaurants. Thanks to Bucks Fire for attending so swiftly.
"Hope everyone is safe and well. Please keep windows shut to avoid the smoke hazard."
Last December, the head chef was crowned the ‘Chef of the Year’ at the Bangladesh Caterers Association UK awards.
It has also proved popular among local residents receiving a 4.5 rating on TripAdvisor and a 4.4 rating on Google reviews.
In a final message to customers, Cllr Mohammad said: “We are closed for the time being but we will be back soon.”
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