Birmingham’s first halal food hall has burned down just six months after it opened.
Firefighters were called to Allison Street, in Digbeth, just after midnight in the early hours of Thursday morning.
There, the blaze had spread throughout the two-storey building and caused extensive smoke damage.
No injuries have been reported and West Midlands Fire Services are now investigating to establish the cause.
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The food hall was opened in March by Jordan Patel, 48, who hoped the venue would “bridge” communities and “break down those social barriers”.
The site also contains a female-only hair salon to allow women a “safe space” to remove their headscarves.
Mr Patel said it was like “watching my life turn to ashes”, adding that he fears arson may have been involved.
He told BirminghamLive: “I am devastated, not just for me but for all the businesses and people who had found a safe, inclusive space to fulfil their dreams. It is so painful to see all that hard work and hope disappear.
“I hope my instinct this could have been arson is not right but that was my first thought.”
The business owner rushed to the Art Quarter building and stayed at the scene for several hours but has determined nothing can be recovered.
He claimed to have been the “target of a lot of hate crime, from graffiti, to hate messages” and had “had things thrown at windows, abuse shouted by people walking by”.
“The space is used by people from all faiths and cultures, including women in hijab and niqab, and has a halal food hall, and some people just don’t like that.”
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Mr Patel said his business had received “awful abuse online and in person” and claims the venue may have been targeted.
He also claimed the fire started in an area of the building without any obvious fire hazards, cooking equipment or other potential fire starters.
In April, the venue offered five small businesses in the halal food court free rent for 15 months with no small bills.
He said: “It had a really happy, lovely vibe. But we definitely felt some people did not like that we were a welcoming space for people of all faiths and cultures.”
A fire service spokesman said: “The time of call was 12.30am and was a fire in a commercial building.
“Four crews attended and used eight breathing apparatus, two main jets and two hose reels. The stop came in at 4.10am. There were no casualties.
“We will revisit the scene to check for hotspots. The cause of the fire is under investigation.”
CCTV from the premise is now being reviewed and police was also in attendance.
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