Kebab, barber shop destroyed by suspicious fire in Endeavour Hills

A teenage business owner has lost everything after a suspicious fire tore through his newly opened barber shop in Endeavour Hills.

A teenage business owner has lost everything after a suspected arson attack destroyed his newly opened barber shop as well as the neighbouring kebab shop.

CFA and FRV crews arrived on scene at Raymond McMahon Boulevard about 12.40am, and were able to prevent the fire from spreading to neighbouring premises.

While the blaze was extinguished by 1.34am, arson investigators will remain on site throughout the day as police try to establish who is responsible.

It’s believed the fire began at a barber shop before spreading next door to Endeavour Kebabs.

Mahdi Rajaee, 18, said he was devastated by the destruction of his recently renovated barber shop, which only opened on Saturday.

Mr Rajaee was first made aware of the blaze late last night, when a friend saw it burning while driving home and called him with the bad news.

“I just thought it was a joke, and then I realised everything was gone,” he said.

“I was going to get the insurance today … I’ve lost all my money,

“I put everything I had into this, and it’s all gone.”

Police at the scene on Tuesday morning. Picture: David Crosling

Police are treating the fires as suspicious. Picture: David Crosling

Mr Rajee said the shop was purchased and renovated using a combination of his own savings and contributions from his parents.

“I’ve always wanted to open my own business, it’s my dream to be my own boss,” he said.

“I worked so hard for it and it’s just been stripped away.”

Asked if he could think why anyone would target his store, the teen said there were jealous people in the community who “can’t handle seeing a young person succeed”.

Mr Rajaee has also launched a GoFundMe after the incident, which he hopes will allow him to “rebuild my dream bigger and better than ever”.

Also destroyed in the blaze was Endeavour Kebabs, which opened just over a year ago.

The Herald Sun understands the restaurant is insured, and was for sale on Facebook Marketplace at the time of the attack.

Anyone who has CCTV, dashcam footage or any other information that could help police with their inquiries is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.

Originally published as Kebab, barber shop destroyed by suspicious fire in Endeavour Hills