A popular fish and chip shop in Fakenham has re-opened its doors, just three months after it was ravaged by fire.

Eastern Daily Press: The new look exterior to Mr Chips in Fakenham PHOTO: ArchantThe new look exterior to Mr Chips in Fakenham PHOTO: Archant (Image: Archant)

More than 30 firefighters tackled the blaze at Mr Chips on Bridge Street back in March, after a fat fryer caught fire.

Owner, Sinan Aygun, was banking in the town centre when he received a panicked phone call from one of his staff.

He said: 'I ran back down to the shop and when I got there, I just saw loads of black smoke billowing out the back door. I asked my staff if everyone was out of the building, which thankfully they were.'

The fire brigade were called, but before they arrived, Mr Aygun risked his own life by going back into the burning take away.

'I thought it would be best to switch off the gas supply,' he said. 'I managed to get in and turn it off, but that was all I could do.

'A second fryer had caught fire too, there was so much smoke, there was nothing we could do, I had to get out.'

Firefighters were at the scene for more than two hours putting out the blaze and damping down.

Mr Aygun said: 'When we saw it afterwards, it was heartbreaking. It was not so much fire damage, but lots of smoke damage, everything was black, it was a lot worse than we thought.'

Over the past three months Mr Aygun has been working hard to get the business back open, he said: 'It has been really difficult for us, probably the most difficult period of my life. There was lots of insurance paperwork to go through.'

Local people seemed pleased to see the popular takeaway owner get back on his feet.

One customer, Dave Cain from Fakenham, said: 'It was terrible to see what happened to the place, I felt really sorry for them, they are nice people, always smiling. I'm glad it's back open. I hardly recognised the new place when I saw it; it looks really smart.'

Mr Aygun's final words were reserved for the bravery of the firefighters who tackled the blaze: 'I wanted to thank the fire brigade from the bottom of my heart for all they did for us, they did a really amazing job, I cannot thank them enough'.