A FISH and chip shop in Oxford has risen from the ashes after a fire devastated the building.

The Mediterranean Fish Bar, in Cherwell Drive, Marston, caught fire in April while four members of staff and a customer were inside.

Staff battled against the flames and managed to stop the deep fat friers catching fire, but most of the equipment and fittings were lost. No one was injured.

After working around the clock, the shop has now reopened.

Manager Kemal Koc said: “We did not want to upset the customers, that is why we did it so quickly. They missed it more than us.

“Business is back to normal now. My customers are loyal so they are all back, which I am pleased about.”

Mr Koc said customers had even offered to help with the rebuild.

He said: “The contractors were working double shifts to get it fixed. It was impressive.”

The shop’s grill, frier, chimney, fridge, menus and light fittings all had to be replaced.

But Mr Koc said if it were not for smoke damage, the shop would have opened a week earlier.

He said: “We did not want to open when the building still smelled of smoke.”

Fixing the shop cost about £30,000 to £40,000, which was initially paid for by the owners.

Mr Koc said: “We could not wait on the insurance otherwise we would still be closed. But we got the insurance in the end.”

He said the building and cooking equipment had also been thoroughly checked out to try to make sure it does not happen again.

But Mr Koc said he was still unsure what had caused the fire.

The blaze is thought to have started after a build up of cooking fat in a ventilation shaft caught fire, according to the fire service.

At the time, Mr Koc said of the blaze: “It was like an earthquake, everything was making such a big noise and the ground was moving.”