Epping cafe blaze: community raises cash for much-loved owner

A close-knit community in Sydney’s north-west has banded together to raise money for a much-loved cafe owner after her business was destroyed by fire yesterday.

A Sydney community has banded together raising more than $15,000 for a much-loved cafe owner after her business was destroyed by fire yesterday.

Cafe Topiary in Rawson St, Epping, was razed within minutes of a staff member discovering the fire about 1pm yesterday.

The cafe owner’s son created a GoFund Me account to raise money for his mother who worked seven days a week for 16 years to established the business.

“Kaye Hawkins has helped others and has been known to take people into her home when they have nowhere else to go,” Haydan Hawkins said.

“She has employees who have been with her for over ten years who have now lost their income. She has employed family and friends when they have been left without work. It is now time for people to help this much-loved member of our community.”

Bystanders at Cafe Topiary in Rawson St Epping, which burned down just after 1pm today.

Within hours of the page being created, they were more than a third of the way to the $20,000 goal.

There have been over 270 individual donations on the page.

Ms Hawkins said the worker thought there may have been bushfire smoke in the air and opened the rear door to check.

He was met with flames shooting through a wooden ramp at the rear of the premises.

Five staff scrambled to evacuate customers from the cafe.

Cafe Topiary in Rawson St Epping burned down to the ground.

Ms Hawkins said they then returned to try to douse the flames with an extinguisher but there was nothing they could do.

“My staff have done a wonderful job,” Ms Hawkins said.

Her brave workers were traumatised, she said.

The converted house was a blazing wreck by the time the first fire truck arrived.

Strong winds fanned smoke over Epping railway station.

Dozens of people gathered in a carpark opposite the cafe as the Epping institution was razed.