A fundraising campaign has been launched to help a Ross-shire woman re-establish her roadside food van after it burned down.
Allana Dell set up the Karen’s Kitchen fundraiser to help her friend, Karen Young, who operated the popular business from a lay-by off the A9 Inverness-Thurso road, just north of the Cromarty Bridge.
Firefighters from Dingwall were called out at about 4.45am on Monday morning to extinguish the blaze following a 999 call.
But the 47-year-old’s insurance company refused to pay out because the van was kept there overnight, which was not deemed secure compared to a home driveway.
And the single mum needs to raise £2,000 to pay her 23-year-old daughter Olivia’s university tuition fees for a Masters business degree which starts next month.
Ms Young, of Dingwall, said that a firefighter or passing motorist could have been killed if a canister containing 19kg of gas, connected to the van, had exploded.
At the time she said she felt like “someone had destroyed everything”.
But her friend has now started an online fundraising page to help her buy a new van and re-establish the business.
And one local businessman, Iain Beaton, has already pledged a single donation of £250 in the hope that other businesses will follow suit.
Mr Beaton, managing director of Caldive Ltd in Invergordon, said: “Hopefully she can get herself set up and running again.
“It’s just despicable what has happened.
“If we can get 10 businesses all chipping in and a few others, that would help a lot.
“Fingers crossed she will get a few quid.”
Ms Young, a chef to trade, paid £2,000 for her catering van and built it up into a successful business with a loyal client base of lorry drivers and locals.
Police are still carrying out inquiries and treating the fire as unexplained.
A link to the donations page can be found at: www.gofundme.com/asd4d-karens-kitchen-fundraiser
The incident happened after the opening of a new Harry Gow bakery, just north of the Kessock Bridge, was delayed due to a fire earlier last month.
A joint investigation was launched between police and the fire service but no cause has been identified.
