Good Samaritan reports arson at Kitchener restaurant

The owners of a Kitchener restaurant say a bystander saved their business. CTV’s Ashley Bacon explains.

Samrat and Hima Patel say a stranger saved their Kitchener restaurant from going up in flames.

Security video showed a man outside The Biryani Barrel on King Street East around 4:30 a.m. Sunday.

“He was roaming around the building,” Samrat told CTV News.

The man tried to enter the restaurant, but the doors were locked.

“He sat in the patio, just trying to start a fire everywhere possible,” said Samrat.

In the video, the man could be seen setting a fire in a planter on the restaurant’s patio. He then watched the flames for awhile before walking away.

“He tried to burn everything that he could,” said Hima.

A passerby just happened to spot the growing fire.

“The gentleman was driving around the building,” Hima explained. “He reported it and stayed until the firemen and the cops came.”

The couple praised the quick action by the Good Samaritan who left before they could thank them in person.

“We are so grateful,” Samrat said. “If you are that person, it would be great to have you in our restaurant, and we would love to serve you. Dinner and dessert is on us!”

The Patels also appreciated the support of their customers.

“I’m just trying not to cry, but it’s overwhelming,” Hima said. “It has helped us so much that everybody is trying to lift us up. It’s beyond belief.”

“It was so gut-wrenchingly painful and brutal and awful,” customer Peter Chiem said of the fire. “All the food is so delicious, and they work so hard. I wish them nothing but success [and will] support them for as long as I can.”

No one was hurt in the fire and the only damage was to the restaurant’s planter and some wooden flooring beneath it.

Waterloo Regional Police said a 39-year-old man was arrested a short time after the fire. He was charged with three counts of arson and one count of possession of incendiary material.