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Mission accomplished as fire-hit restaurant reopens

Josh Sandiford
BBC News, West Midlands
BBC Professor Carl Chinn with employees Hamza Hussain and Bishal Tamang. They are standing either side of him wearing their purple work uniforms. Everyone is smiling. Carl Chinn has an Aston Villa top on and is wearing a necklace.BBC
Professor Carl Chinn is a regular customer and was one of the first through the door with employees Hamza Hussain and Bishal Tamang

A curry house has reopened days after a staff member jumped from a window to escape flames.

Shababs owner Zafar Hussain hailed the moment as "mission accomplished" after the Birmingham restaurant's top floor was gutted by a large blaze last Sunday.

A separate downstairs kitchen has enabled the site to partially reopen. Mr Hussain said he did not want to lose his regular customers and added he wanted to honour bookings made by people going to Edgbaston to watch test match cricket next week.

Costs are likely to total about £200,000, which will eventually be claimed back through insurers, he said.

A restaurant called SHABABS is charred from a fire, with a person clearing up the mess at the front.
The restaurant's top floor was gutted by the fire last Sunday

Well-known historian and regular customer Carl Chinn was among the first through the door on what Mr Hussain added was a "fairly busy night" despite reduced capacity.

"It was an emotional one," Mr Hussain said. "Everyone gave us a tap on the back to say we had done so well."

Earlier this week, the 40-year-old told the BBC a lifetime of work by his family had been "burnt to a crisp in ten minutes".

The fire was started by an oil fryer that had been left on in an upstairs kitchen and made worse by the use of the wrong fire extinguisher.

"A lot of people thought 'that's it, Shababs is forever gone'," Mr Hussain added. "It's just a relief that we are back open again."

Shababs An Indian restaurant with customers sat waiting to eat their meals. A female employee in a purple uniform can be seen walking around. There are patterns on the wall and mirrors. Shababs
Business is almost back to normal after less than a week

It is hoped the entire restaurant will be open to diners from next week after staff "got their skates on" in a bid not to lose regulars.

Zafar Hussain Zafar wearing a black shirt looking at the camera with his hands held together. Zafar Hussain
Zafar Hussain said his family's life work had been 'burnt to a crisp'

Well wishers from as far as Australia have sent words of support and Mr Hussain said the community's response had been "phenomenal".

"It was important to me and vital that I reopened the restaurant for my family's sake," he added.

"My brother and father didn't have it in them to go [and see] the damage, they were just heartbroken.

"For me to get it open and get punters in there was a mission accomplished."

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