A Stornoway family is “in shock” after their restaurant was destroyed by a fire.
Thai Cafe, a popular restaurant on Church Street, was engulfed by flames on Sunday.
Several fire crews were sent to the scene and battled the blaze for more than eight hours between 4pm and 1am.
The family of 62-year-old owner Panida MacDonald – who opened Thai Cafe 27 years ago – said she has been left “devastated” by the incident.
Another local restaurant, Bank Street Pizzeria, has set up a fundraiser to help Panida.
The GoFundMe to support the much-loved member of the community has received more than 200 donations in the first 24 hours, raising nearly £5,000.
Fire destroys Thai Cafe in Stornoway
Monika Maitles, Panida’s daughter, told The P&J the family were all in Glasgow when they received photos and videos of the blaze.
Monika said: “My mum has run the business for 27 years and she was in Glasgow with us when she got the news.
“She travelled back yesterday and was more shocked than anything. She had seen photos and videos of it on Facebook but it’s much worse when you see it in person.”
Monika explained she and her sister Amanda grew up in the restaurant and described the situation as “very emotional” for the family.
She said the next few weeks will be “critical” as they speak to insurance companies to understand how bad the damage is and what can be repaired.
Monika continued: “My mother is not ready to retire, that’s for sure. But we can’t make any decisions until we know all the facts.
“She loves it, she loves what she does, she loves the restaurant, and she loves serving the community.”
Stornoway community comes together to help Thai Cafe
Local restaurant Bank Street Pizzeria has set up an online fundraiser to help “everyone at the beloved Thai Cafe”.
The GoFundMe page reads: “Please give what you can to help rebuild such a loved part of the community.
“Panida and her family have been running this business for 27 years and I cannot think of a better use for this site than to show them our appreciation and support during what I can only imagine to be the most difficult of times.”
In the first 24 hours, it has received more than 200 donations, raising £4,700.
Monika said they are “really emotional” to see the level of support from the community.
She added: “It’s a testament to my mother and the quite incredible character that she is.
“The response has been incredible – the countless messages, all the people that have reached out to her to hope everything goes well. It’s amazing.”
Monika thanked the Stornoway community after the huge support.
She concluded: “It would be different if we had one person who gave £4,000 but it’s the fact that over 200 residents in a small community have made donations in less than 24 hours.
“It gets to show that when bad things happen, the community comes together.”
Conversation