One of Glasgow’s two kosher delis was destroyed in a fire early on Wednesday.
The blaze at Mark’s Deli, a store and café in Burnfield Road, was reported to fire services at 00:15. Four fire engines were dispatched to douse the flames — the standard call-out is two.
Surveying the wreckage, owner Mark Cohen said: “There’s no roof at all. It’s a mess. There’s nothing in the shop that’s salvageable.
“It’s a hub of the community. In my day we never had a place like this where people could just go and relax. But it’s only bricks and mortar. We’re going to set up again bigger and better soon so our customers won’t go hungry.”
Within hours of the fire, more than 50 messages of sympathy had been posted on the store’s Facebook page. “This is awful news,” Sholom Jacobs wrote. “So sorry to hear. Hope you are able to rebuild and reopen very soon — hopefully in another location next week.”
A Strathclyde Fire and Rescue representative said the blaze was not being treated as suspicious. Police said Burnfield Road had been closed for a few hours while the blaze was tackled. “The building has been deemed unsafe.”