Takeaway owner tells of distress as he counts cost of devastating kitchen fire

BUSINESS: Difficult to get repairs done after damage forces shop to close

The owner of a fire-ravaged Dundee takeaway claims he could lose out on £8,000 after the blaze forced him to close the business.

The fire broke out while staff at Azaad takeaway in Whitfield were preparing food last Monday night.

Despite frantically trying to stop the flames from spreading, owner Mohammad Yasin and others were forced to flee and watch as fire and smoke billowed through the building.

Mr Yasin said: “We were in the kitchen doing some prep for our spicy chicken.

“There was some oil in a pan next to the fryer because our cooker is close to the fryer.

“We were waiting for the oils to heat up so we could add the spices when something happened with the fryer and flames were coming out.

“It went up and up so we put a fire blanket over it, but there was too much oil and we couldn’t control it. There was smoke all over the place.”

The kitchen has been left smokedamaged, with walls and equipment blackened or destroyed. Mr Yasin and other staff have been working to get the kitchen back to a working condition.

He said: “I’m feeling really upset. It’s not easy to run a business and I wasn’t expecting this to happen.

“I’ve got four children and I really rely on this business.

“We work hard day and night, it’s really our bread and butter. We’re looking at losing about £8,000.”

The owner says lockdown has made it harder for him to get supplies and the people needed to repair the damage, meaning the takeaway may be closed for up to a month.

He said: “We had people from the insurance company come up and they’ve said it could take weeks.

“There are no suppliers can come up to fix it. We’re still getting there, getting things a bit organised.”

The businessman also said he became more distressed after people claimed he deliberately caused the fire in a ploy to cash in on insurance money.

He said: “As soon as it happened I read on Facebook people were saying that it’s an insurance job.

“It really hurt me. I would never do that, I’ve always worked for my money.”

Picture: Mhairi Edwards. Mohammad Yasin looks over the aftermath at the Azaad takeaway.