The fire that broke out in Kingston during the early morning hours of 6 October forced the town’s market to shut for several days.
Traders have expressed concern about the financial losses incurred following the closure of their stalls as a result of the fire.
Ali Mohsin, owner of Burger Bros stall in the market, said the fire left him unable to work for 10 days. His stall wasn’t damaged, but the market’s closure had meant a loss in earnings.
The business owner had hoped he would receive financial compensation from the council and said he was concerned about fellow stall owners who were still closed. “We can survive because we were only closed for ten days, but for them it will be really hard,” Mohsin said.
“Our friends on the other side of the market are destroyed. The fruit and veg stalls were completely burnt. They haven’t received anything [in terms of compensation] as far as I am concerned. The ones who are affected will not be able to work for maybe a month,” he said.
Mushtar Hamud, owner of Indian food stall Chilli Cha Cha, said the business had significantly fewer customers after being closed for 12 days. “It has definitely affected our business. The customers are way less now, and a lot of customers think we are closed,” Hamud said.
Many of the locals we spoke to in the market blamed the low footfall on the cost of living.
Kingston Council said that they are working to reopen the rest of the stalls as soon as possible and that traders would not be liable for pitch fees while their stalls are closed.
Andreas Kirsch, leader of Kingston Council, said: “We’re working with the market operator to support traders. We’re working urgently to find temporary locations for those whose stalls were destroyed by the fire.”
Four fire engines and 25 firefighters were called to the scene in the early hours of 6 October, according to the London Fire Brigade.
Businesses destroyed by the fire included Japanese street food stall Namu and Timothy Mead’s fishmongers.
Mead said the fire cost him up to £27,000. A GoFundMe to raise money for him has reached £14,000 so far. There is also a separate fund for the wider market.
The fishmonger’s business, along with those of other affected traders, has been relocated to temporary shipping containers whilst permanent reconstruction work is underway.
The market partially reopened on 19 October, with no date confirmed yet for the reopening of the entire site.
