A devastating fire at Khan's Bargains on Rye Lane in Peckham has left owner Akbar Khan with a £200,000 damage bill. The blaze, which broke out on Thursday, June 25, destroyed the stockroom and sent thick plumes of acrid smoke across South London's skyline. Around 100 firefighters in 15 engines responded to the scene just before 9pm and brought the fire under control by 11:50pm.
Owner's account of the fire
Akbar Khan, 52, who has run the community store for 26 years, told MyLondon he had no idea about the fire until locals alerted him. He grabbed a fire extinguisher but quickly realized the situation was hopeless. "The smoke was too much - it was too late for us to do anything. It was too dangerous, you couldn’t breathe," he said. His first priority was evacuating the shop: "I was so nervous about how dangerous it was when you see the fire right there. The first thing I thought was ‘I need to evacuate the shop’. It's a big shop, so we had to run up and down in the aisles to get customers out, and by the time we’d finished, the fire brigade arrived."
Concerns for the community
After evacuating the shop, Khan worried about the fire spreading to nearby flats and venues, including the Bussey Building. "I was very scared because we have flats nextdoor and we have another large building nextdoor, which has many bars and clubs - all occupied by the public. I was scared that if the fire escalates, it would be so dangerous," he said.
Damage and future plans
Khan estimates the fire caused £200,000 in damage and lost stock, but the main shop floor was left undamaged. Despite the setback, he remains optimistic: "The whole stockroom is destroyed, the whole roof completely fell down, but the future of the store is bright. We will start from scratch. We will start again." He insists closing is not an option: "Why would I close? I know it’s a lot of money, but if I stop, then I cannot recover. I have to struggle and keep moving." The shop has reopened, and Khan is focused on recovery.
Community support
Khan expressed gratitude for the community's response: "Peckham is like a family to me. The reaction from the local community has been so positive, they’ve kept coming since this morning. People have been asking how they can help, even offering to start crowdfunding, but I said ‘no’ as insurance should cover it."
Liam Phelan, 25, a local resident, described the scene: "People were wearing face masks to protect themselves from the insane amount of smoke. It was thick, acrid smoke which gets into the back of your throat. Everyone was shocked." He praised Khan: "It's a very cool store. I showed it to my family when they visited from Australia. The prices are amazing and everyone there is so lovely. They're a real heart-and-soul institution."
John Sylvar, an 18-year-old lifelong Peckham resident, saw the smoke from his cab: "It was horrible because obviously people's lives could be at risk. There was a whole crowd and the smoke was absolutely polluting the whole area." He noted the shop's importance: "I feel this is the one place that people come to for things that you wouldn't normally get in, say, a Poundland or anywhere. It has everything."
Local MP's reaction
MP Miatta Fahnbulleh, who represents Peckham, visited the shop to show support. She described Khan's Bargains as "not just a shop, it’s the beating heart of the community." She feared the blaze could have spread to the shop floor, which would have been "devastating for us as a community, putting a massive hole in the heart of Rye Lane." She added: "This is Rye Lane, incredibly diverse. This represents Peckham. You walk down here, and you see people from different backgrounds. We have shops that represent different parts of our community, and it all blends together as one."
Fire service response
Fire Commander Craig Abbott said: "Firefighters worked hard in arduous conditions to bring this fire under control. A single storey extension to a department store on the first floor of a commercial building was destroyed by the fire. Around 50 people left the building before the Brigade arrived. There are currently no reports of any injuries." He advised local residents to keep windows and doors closed due to the smoke. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
