THE owner of an Indian restaurant which suffered devasting damage in a fire said he feared his whole livelihood had gone up in smoke.
Shard Alom said his stomach dropped as he walked into The Spice in Elmstead Market and saw it had been “burnt to a crisp”.
Clacton Road was partially closed as three fire crews battled to save the venue on the morning of September 26.
Firefighters reported the building was alight and smoke logged as crews from Colchester and Clacton entered with breathing apparatus.
It was later confirmed the blaze was caused by faulty electrics.
Mr Alom has now celebrated reopening the popular Indian restaurant’s doors after five weeks of intensive revamp works.
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The 39-year-old said when he initially heard what had happened, he feared the business would not survive.
“When I first heard about the fire I thought my whole livelihood was gone and everything with it had disappeared,” said Mr Alom.
“When I arrived I was in shock.
“I went to the first floor and all I could see was char marks, the whole room had been burnt to a crisp.
“It could have been so much worse. If customers had been inside it would’ve been an absolute disaster.”
The businessman, who has owned The Spice since 2015, heaped praise on the firefighters who tirelessly fought to prevent the flames from spreading.
“They were attacking the fire really quick and they put it out quite soon,” he explained.
Since the devastating incident, Mr Alom and his staff have had to rewire the electricity and refurbish 95 per cent of the restaurant.
The first floor of the building needed to be redecorated due to a collapsed ceiling and water damage while the roof, which was smashed in to allow for hoses, needed to be restructured.
The restaurant owner added: “We’ve been on site with the builders ever since in a race to get back open before Christmas.
“It is a relief more than anything. We have missed our customers and it's good to see life and a buzz back in our restaurant.”
Restaurateur thanks the community for their help
Mr Alom added he wanted to thank the community for their support after his venue caught fire.
The 39-year-old said: “Luckily we are on a busy road and there were a couple of guys driving by who spotted plumes of smoke coming from the building.”
The restaurateur thanked neighbours who offered cups of tea to the staff who got to work immediately in clearing the mess.
“Tradesmen who live around the restaurant were on site offering advice and comfort for which I was so grateful,” added Mr Alom.
“I also want to mention a huge thank you to Elmstead Market business Next Generation Flat Roofing who were one of the main contractors.
“They were amazing and gave us huge moral and technical support.
“The owner, Gavin Stacey, was one of the first at the scene during the fire and really helped us out.”
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