Mobile sweet shop owner devastated after van fire
A WOMAN who spent her life savings setting up a mobile sweet business was lucky to escape unharmed when her van went up in flames while driving.
Alisha Mohamed, from Grangetown, Cardiff, started her sweet shop business last year selling milkshakes and sweets at local markets and events.
After months of hard work, she was able to expand the business in May, when she bought a second-hand catering van.
But the 33-year-old was left “heartbroken” when a fire gutted the vehicle while she was driving home from her first booking at the Dubs on the Wye festival on Sunday.
“I’m devastated,” said Ms Mohamed. “I just watched everything disappear in minutes. When I sleep, I see the van bursting into flames over and over again. I’m so emotional.”
Ms Mohamed had been driving along the A446 when she noticed smoke billowing out of the air conditioning vents.
“At first I noticed the air conditioning had gone off so I turned it off and back on again,” she said.
“Because it was 26°C I noticed right away, but if it had been any other day I might not have realised. By the time I had got out and reached the passenger side, it was in flames.
“I didn’t know what to do so I grabbed my phone and money belt out of the passenger seat and called the police and fire brigade.
“While I was on the phone to 999 I grabbed what I could from the back, I managed to get a slushy machine because they’re about £1,000 each.
“I just thought that if I managed to get a slushy machine I would be able to set up again. But the person on the phone was shouting at me to get away from the van so I threw the things on the grass bank and moved away.
“But the fire was so big, the things I had saved caught fire. I was heartbroken. I had used all of my money, I don’t have any savings and I had borrowed to set up the business.”
Ms Mohamed and her friends and family spent hours renovating a white second-hand van – painting it bright pink, redecorating the inside and having a specialist create personalised stickers for the exterior.
But despite spending tens of thousands of pounds setting up Sweet Treats Cardiff, Ms Mohamed only had basic insurance – meaning she can only claim up to £3,500.
She said: “I have about six pages of things I had inside that have gone. All of my equipment, slushy machines and milkshake machines, lighting, water coolers and all of my money.
“A slushy machine costs about £1,000 and the milkshake machine costs £1,000 each. I had the till, the card machine. Everything has gone.
“I had a £160 float and about £1,000 worth of takings. I had gone and bought about £700 worth of stock a few days before as well.
“I had bookings every weekend this month and in August. This is the time I should be making money and repaying my debts and now I can’t.”
The entrepreneur said that while she has been left devastated by the fire, she was also upset that nobody pulled over to offer help.
“People were stopping to take videos but nobody stopped to ask if I was OK, even though I was a woman on my own and my van was on fire,” she added.
Friends and family have since set up a crowdfunding page to try to help her start up the business again with a target of £15,000. This would cover a new van and some equipment and stock.
“I loved doing it so much, I just can’t believe it’s all gone,” she added.