Kilmarnock fire: Glasgow dad 'lost everything' as he watched life project Kilmarnock cafe burn to the ground
The Kilmarnock cafe owner was alerted to the fire by one of his customers.
A Kilmarnock cafe owner has spoken out about his shock as he had to watch his business burn to the ground.
Hasab Mohammed, 45, lives in Glasgow’s southside but made the commute early every morning to his business SixtyOne Cafe on Kilmarnock’s King Street.
After working around 15 years in hospitality, Mr Mohammed had finally saved money to open up his life-long dream of the cafe in November 2024.
On Monday night, he received the devastating news that his cafe was on fire along with several other businesses on King Street.
He rushed to the scene and said he had to watch his cafe as it burned.
The huge blaze ripped through a number of buildings in Kilmarnock on Monday, closing roads and businesses in the town centre.
Fire crews were called to a fire on the ground floor of a four-storey building on King Street just before 9pm on Monday, which then spread to neighbouring premises.
The fire is now being treated as ‘deliberate’ while police have launched an investigation.
The business owner lives with his wife and three young children and has now launched a GoFundMe page as he says he is “starting from the ashes”.
What he misses most is the “fantastic” regular customers that would visit his cafe.
It was one of these customers who alerted him to the fire on Monday.
Speaking to The Scotsman, Mr Mohammed said: “One of our regular customers phoned me at about half nine and said ‘did you hear about it? your place is on fire?’
“I said that it was no time for a joke but he said he was being serious.
“I rushed over there and saw all the smoke. All I thought was ‘it’s over. My savings from my whole life, the past 15 to 20 years, it’s all done.’
“For me it’s my first business, when you’ve saved all your life, it’s hard.”
GoFundMe launched to help pick up the pieces after fire
Currently, due to the devastating blaze and loss of the cafe, he is hoping to make a living from starting JustEat or Deliveroo deliveries.
Within the post, he said: “Last night’s fire didn’t just take flames to bricks and mortar—it swept through my memories, my present reality, and the dreams I’d worked so hard to build for the future.
“Decades of tireless effort, of sacrifice, of saying no to life’s smallest luxuries just so I could say yes to one dream: opening my own café.
“Now I find myself starting from ashes. And while the fire took much, it didn’t take my spirit.
“I’m reaching out once more, not for charity—but for solidarity. Even the smallest gesture will help rebuild what was lost. I believe in this community because you’ve helped me rise before, and I know together, we can do it again.”
Make sure you keep up to date with news from across Scotland by signing up to our free newsletter here.
Mr Mohammed added that the fire has also had a large impact on his family.
He told The Scotsman: “My kids keep asking me every single day ‘daddy, are we poor now?’
“It’s worse. It’s like someone’s stabbed you in the heart with a big knife.
“I’m going to start again from the ashes.”
Mr Mohammed says that he has “never given up in his life” and is desperately hoping to make money for the future.
‘Customers say I have the best coffee in Killie’
“Everybody says we have the best coffee in Killie,” he added.
“After the first sip they’re like: ‘that’s what I’ve been looking for, I wasted my time in Costa’.”
Mr Mohammed also added that they were complimented on their “terrific” food. In particular, a favourite was their mozzarella panini.
“We’re not here for money. We’re here to serve customers from the bottom of our hearts.
“I don’t want to go back there [to the cafe] and wash the ashes after my cafe just burned down in front of me.”
You can donate to Hasab Mohammed’s GoFundMe page via their website.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.