Watch flames engulf celeb-loved curry house which featured on BBC as passers-by launch brazen bid to rescue staff

The Sun

24-06-2025

THIS is the dramatic moment heroic passers-by rescue trapped staff from a blaze at a famous curry house loved by celebrities.
Footage from the inferno at Shababs, known as the "home of the Birmingham Balti" shows heroic passers-by smashing windows with rocks to help staff escape the flames.
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Smoke can be seen billowing from the curry house, on the city's Ladypool Road, after a fryer caught fire on Sunday morning (June 22).
In the video, a crowd can be seen gathering on the street outside the venue as pedestrians lob rocks through windows to offer an escape route to staff.
One bystander is said to have brought a ladder to the scene to help with the rescue effort.
The footage shows the large first floor window smashed and cracked, while people can be seen stopping their cars and getting out to offer assistance.
One man reportedly jumped from a first floor window in a desperate bid to escape before being rushed to hospital and treated for smoke inhalation and burns.
Four other people were treated at the scene after escaping the horror fire.
The iconic curry house featured recently on BBC2 when Michael Portillo visited the restaurant.
It regularly attracts visits from YouTubers and celebrities with the Hairy Bikers and Joe Lycett both eating at the restaurant.
Shababs is one of the last remaining original restaurants that created the iconic balti dish 38 years ago.
West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service deployed three fire engines to the dramatic scene in Birmingham's "Balti Triangle".
Fire and Rescue workers found the premises "significantly smoke-logged", a statement said.
It continued: "Shortly after 11.10am on Sunday 22 June, we responded to Ladypool Road, Birmingham.
"Three fire engines responded, crewed by firefighters from Ladywood, Highgate and Hay Mills stations.
"The first crew arrived at the scene within two minutes of being mobilised.
"This was a fire, believed to have started accidentally, in a two-storey commercial premises used as a restaurant. Both floors were significantly smoke-logged.
"Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used three hose reel jets to extinguish the fire.
"One person was helped to safety by members of the public from the building before we arrived.
"They are believed to have been conveyed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital after presenting symptoms of smoke inhalation.
"Four members of the public were checked by paramedics for smoke inhalation and were all discharged at the scene.
"The final fire crew left this incident at 2.25pm, with police colleagues still in attendance."
The famous curry house has been open since 1987 and is one of the city's best known " Balti Triangle" restaurants.
Zafar Hussain, the owner of Shababs, has said he wants to open the curry house for business again by the end of the week.
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How to treat burns
Your skin has three layer; the outer layer (epidermis), the dermis (which contains vessels, nerves, hair follicles) and the deeper layer of fat (subcutis).
A full thickness burn is when all layers of skin are damaged, while a superficial burn is when only the top layer has been effected.
The NHS says to treat a burn:
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Cool the burn with cool or lukewarm running water for 20 to 30 minutes – do not use ice, iced water, or any creams or greasy substances like butter
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If it's an acid or chemical burn, dial 999, carefully try to remove the chemical and any contaminated clothing, and rinse the affected area using as much clean water as possible
You should go to a hospital A&E department for:
All chemical and electrical burns
Large or deep burns – any burn bigger than the injured person's hand
Burns that cause white or charred skin – any size
Burns on the face, neck, hands, feet, any joints or genitals
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