Brisbane’s Tram Stop Cafe at Kalinga is destroyed by fire

A 2am wake-up call from police is something no business owner would welcome. This Brisbane cafe owner thought it was a prank. It wasn’t.

Tram Stop Cafe, Kalinga, was destroyed by fire last week. It’s in the same shopping strip as well-known local restaurant Rhubarb Rhubarb.

“Terrible, just terrible.”

That’s how the owner of a Tram Stop Cafe described the 45-minute drive to Kalinga from his Marsden home at 2am last Thursday morning, after being told his coffee shop was on fire.

“It was such a stressful drive,” Suraj Arora said.

“I got a call from Queensland police about 1.20am and I was sleeping so I didn’t pick up the phone.

“Then they called again and told me there was a fire in the shop.

“At first I didn’t believe it — we would get a lot of prank calls at the shop. So I had to drive there to see if it was real.”

It was.

Tram Stop Cafe, Kalinga, after a fire destroyed its interior. Pictures: Tram Stop Cafe.

The interior of the Tram Stop Cafe was extensively damaged by the heat and smoke. Pictures: Tram Stop Cafe.

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Mr Arora arrived to find that police had closed off streets around the weatherboard cafe’s Rose and Kent streets corner position, as five fire crews fought the blaze.

An aerial pump sprayed water from above, a Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokesman said. The fire was under control at 2am, with the whole operation taking about four hours.

Fire investigation officers attended the scene and, at time of publication, were still investigating the cause of the blaze.

The shop’s windows are now boarded up and safety fencing encloses the site. The interior of the cafe is a charred mess, and last week still smelled strongly of burnt coffee beans. Smoke and heat had damaged some of the nearby shop’s exteriors, but those businesses were able to resume trading after the fire crews departed the scene. The cafe is in the same shopping strip as long-established restaurant Rhubarb Rhubarb, which recently launched a new cocktail bar renovation at the rear of the premises. Neither of those businesses were affected.

Mr Arora said he had only owned the popular cafe since July last year.

He said even though the interior was gutted by the flames, he was determined to reopen.

“It was really lucky that no one was hurt,” he said. “We have some big gas tanks out the back, which could have been very dangerous.

“But the financial cost is stressful.

“Business has been very good, we have been very busy every day until 2pm, and have had a lot of support from the local community who want to support local business.

“The locals who I have talked to have been very sympathetic, but they will have to find another coffee stop for a while. They feel very badly for us.

“I do hope we will be back here. We’ll have to chat to the landlord and see what he has planned.”

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The landlord was contacted for comment but did not reply in time for publication.

Mr Arora said he was insured, and was busy contacting suppliers to notify them of the fire.

He said there was one full-time employee working there and four casual staff. He was also working at the cafe full-time.

“I haven’t thought of a plan yet,” he said. “It’s been a very stressful few days and I haven’t been able to think properly yet.”

Comments on the cafe’s Facebook page included many expressions of sympathy and support.

“The local community is right behind you and needs your coffee back ASAP,” wrote one local.

“Devastating news. We were just there yesterday. So sorry that this has happened. Glad, however, that everyone is all right,” wrote another.

“Keep us updated on what you decide to do as we’re all behind you.”

“So sad to see our fav local coffee shop destroyed.”

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