Fire-hit Masalla Indian restaurant in Braintree looks likely to be pulled down

Abdul Kahar owns Masalla on the corner of South Street and Station Approach in Braintree, which was completely gutted by a blaze on Easter Sunday last year.

He had run the popular curry house for nearly seven years and still has 14 years left on the lease.

However, the former pub has been without a roof for the last eight months, leading to more interior damage.

The 47-year-old said he had now been told by the building’s owner that repairs are unlikely.

He said: “I phoned him a couple of weeks ago and he said he’s still struggling with the insurance people.

“Recently, I went there and everything has just collapsed with the weight of the water coming in from the sky.

“They have said the thing needs to be pulled down and rebuilt again.

“I’m still hopeful because it’s a good business with a good reputation. But if it was rebuilt then hypothetically I have got some of the equipment left and it would be easier to go to another place.”

The devastating blaze, caused by an accident, took hold in an upstairs bedroom at about 1.30pm while diners tucked in to their meals below.

It took firefighters nearly four hours to extinguish the flames, leaving the building mostly gutted.

Mr Kahar, who now lives in East London, added: “It’s bad for me because I’m still waiting to find out what I can do.

“I have got myself a temporary job as an interpreter to keep me busy, but I can’t go on to something else.”

The building was first used as a beerhouse called the London Tavern when it was built in 1871.

A decade later, it became the Railway Tavern until the summer of 2004, when it was reopened as The Engine Room. It was finally converted into an Indian restaurant in 2009.

The building’s owner could not be reached.