An early-morning fire engulfed Dunedin’s Taj Mahal, bringing a tragic (but hopefully temporary) end to a BYO institution beloved by students. No one was hurt in the incident. The fire is not believed to be suspicious.
Senior Station Officer Mark Leonard, from Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ), told Critic Te Arohi that the fire was reported to them at 3:12am. There were two separate 111 calls reporting black smoke from the George Street building, the first from a passing truck driver. Shortly after that, the three people living in the flat above reported black smoke coming in through the window.
Two fire engines arrived at 3:17am, and fire crews evacuated the flat occupants before putting out the fire, which Leonard said was a “pretty straightforward operation”. According to him, the fire started in the kitchen area, but did not spread outside of it. Viewed by Critic on Monday morning, the inside of the building was severely damaged, with significant smoke and heat damage to the furniture. Practically the only thing left untouched was the drinks fridge, still stocked full of beers. Most of the tables were already set with cutlery and serviettes, ready for lunch that day.
On Monday, two fire investigators were on the scene investigating the cause of the fire. A media spokesperson from FENZ advised Critic Te Arohi that, as of press time, “an investigation into the cause and origin of the fire is still underway.”
The Taj Mahal has long been a beloved institution among Otago students, hosting more icebreaker BYOs, club events and end-of-semester parties than could possibly be counted. Its manager told us they regularly got about 100-150 students dining with them every single week. It clearly holds a special place in students’ hearts, with Critic Te Arohi’s Facebook post breaking the news receiving nearly 1,500 sad reacts and close to 500 comments as of last week. Most of these comments expressed shock and sadness at the news. Some recalled memories of visits to the Taj, both the wholesome and the not so wholesome.
Holly had one of the more wholesome stories. She told Critic Te Arohi that she was a regular at the Taj for the five years that she was in Dunedin (2016-21). “Most of my memories of the Taj were an alcohol and garlic naan induced blur,” she said. “You were always guaranteed an exceptional BYO night at the Taj, from its mouth watering food, to the lovely and extremely patient staff, the raging Bollywood tunes, and to the new friends you made queuing for the loo down the alleyway. Sometimes I even cured my hangover with a $10 lunch deal the following day. Even though my curry order was always mild - my heart will forever be warmed.”
The owner of the Taj Mahal, who did not wish to give his name, told Critic Te Arohi that the restaurant was “going very good” before the incident. While Covid-19 has been rough for many restaurant owners, he said having students ordering through delivery apps helped keep the Taj ticking over when many of them were in isolation.
“We always used to talk with [students], and always used to get lots of good comments from them, as well as from [students ordering on] delivery apps.” He showed Critic some Snapchat videos, showing the restaurant packed with students pretty much every night for the week before the incident. “We had a lot of bookings lined up for that day [Monday] as well,” he added.
The incident has been devastating for him. He wants to reopen soon, maybe as soon as 3-6 months from now, but it will not be an easy journey. “Everything needs to change,” he said, with almost everything in the restaurant, from furniture to kitchen equipment, needing to be replaced.
After taking a bit of time to take stock and plan his next steps, the owner is looking at setting up a Givealittle page by this week, to help the Taj Mahal “get back on its feet”. A link will be posted in the online article when it goes live. “If you have space in your heart for the Taj Mahal, you can contribute. Even a dollar or two dollars. Everything counts,” he said. They promise they’ll be back soon, and they’ll be stronger than ever.
Critic hopes students will contribute the coins from your games of Save the Queen, or a few bucks even if only to pay back the corkage for all the extra bottles of wine you’ve smuggled in over the years.