An owner of a cafe in Sydenham that was damaged in a fire over the weekend has told of how she could only watch as flames "burned out all of our hard work".
The fire on Newlands Park was reported with the first of 17 calls at 2.10pm on Sunday afternoon (August 2).
Staff at Kynd, a cafe at 44b, were on break when they smelt smoke, initially suspecting it was from a barbecue in a neighbouring garden.
Co-owner Tatiana Vetturini said: "We went out and we checked from the garden door. We couldn't see anything. We went to the front, there was nothing there, so we came back.
"A couple of minutes later the smell was still there so we went properly into the garden to look around, not just from the door, and we have seen the flames coming from next door in their garden.
"The flames were coming towards the fence."
The 45-year-old told of how her business partner Elena had sprung to action and attempted to battle the fire with an extinguisher, by which time the flames were already "very, very aggressive".
After evacuating their customers, the pair could only stand and watch.
Tatiana recalled: "We stayed I think it was three, four hours after. Our neighbours were absolutely great. Everybody invited us for tea in their house so we could just relax on a chair instead of just watching the flames burning out all of our hard work.
"The fire brigade person we spoke to said we did absolutely everything we needed to - we evacuated the place, there was nothing we could have done to prevent this, it was very hot, there hasn't been rain for a long time."
The fire comes just over a year-and-a-half after Kynd opened its doors to customers on January 30, 2025.
According to Tatiana, the "whole back of the cafe is completely gone", with a "big open space" stretching from her neighbours gardens either side.
The women-owned independent cafe had just recently debuted a refreshed outdoor area for customers, which has now been wiped out by the flames.
She said: "From the back, it looks like one of these phantom buildings that have been abandoned for years. Everything is burned and you can see the black on the windows, they are shattered, no longer there.
"We just see the destruction it has left behind.
"In the moment we were halfway very distraught, nothing we can do, very helpless, and on the other side you wanted to help the emergency services.
"Personally, I was trying to be as helpful as I could be just because that was sort of evading from the moment because you have something to do, you focus on the task at hand rather than just the despair of what was happening.
"Once the emergency faded and everyone had left and we entered the place, it was quite a blow to see it."
The cafe has launched a GoFundMe page in the hopes of raising funds to go towards its reopening, though when this will be remains a mystery.
Structural integrity to the rear of the business remains in question.
Despite the uncertainty and shock, Tatiana has been left thankful for the community surrounding their business.
She told this paper: "We could not ask for better neighbours. We knew this because Kynd is all about community. We have experienced this from day one.
"A year passes by, our community is still very strong but the response we've had after this is just a very strong reminder of what a great community we have and how when things really matter, people show up. I think that's the greatest thing.
"We hope the community will stay close to us until we are finally able to stand."
The cause of the fire has been confirmed to have been accidental as a result of the unsafe use of smoking materials.
The London Fire Brigade has since reminded people of the dangers of smoking and the risks of discarded cigarettes.
A spokesman said: "If you smoke, it is vitally important you stub it right out, preferably in an ashtray.
"Always ensure your cigarette is completely out when you’ve finished smoking it.
"If you don’t, you risk causing a fire."
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