‘We are very angry’: These immigrants to Canada saw their restaurant go up in flames

A Montreal family is grappling with the aftermath of a suspicious fire that destroyed their restaurant.

Arson is suspected, and the three immigrant brothers who own the business are struggling to understand why someone would target their livelihood, leaving them with nothing but ashes.

“We are very angry, because we are shocked and we don’t know what we’re going to do,” said 38-year-old Berat Saymadi, co-owner of Pizza Mozza in Oka, located west of Montreal.

The Saymadi brothers, originally from Turkey and of Kurdish descent, immigrated to Canada over the past two decades.

After spending years working in various Montreal restaurants, in 2022, they decided to open their own restaurant in Oka, with the help of a third brother.

“We worked together as three brothers, 12 or 13 hours a day, every day, seven days a week. It was hard,” said 44-year-old Sedat Saymadi.

Over time, they earned a strong reputation and amassed hundreds of positive online reviews.

Their families would often visit from Montreal, with Sedat even getting married at the restaurant.

“We didn’t spend much time with our families. We spent our time here. We put all our effort into this restaurant,” Sedat added.

However, over the Labour Day weekend, their hard work was destroyed by flames.

The first fire, which occurred overnight on August 31st, was discovered on their front steps by a neighbor and extinguished. But on September 3rd, the restaurant was completely burned down. Quebec Provincial Police (SQ) received a 911 call around 1:30 a.m. about the suspicious fire. Although firefighters managed to put out the flames, the building was a total loss.

“I was shocked. We were all shocked,” Sedat said.

“It’s really a tragedy,” Berat echoed.

Fire investigators examined the site, and the Saymadi brothers reported that police informed them an accelerant was found. Unfortunately, their security cameras didn’t capture anyone setting the fire, and some of the footage stored on a hard drive inside the building was lost.

The brothers, who say they have no enemies, are puzzled as to why their restaurant was targeted.

“We have a great relationship with everyone,” Sedat said.

During the 90 minutes that Global News spent with the brothers in front of the fire-damaged restaurant on Monday, several passersby stopped to express their support and sympathy.

“I just can’t believe it. They’re so nice,” said Carole Ranger.

Others also spoke about the brothers’ kindness and welcoming nature, as well as the quality of the food.

The brothers have also received an outpouring of love and support from the neighboring Kanesetake Mohawk community.

“I didn’t cry, but I saw many people cry here,” said Sedat.

Initially, they considered whether the attack might have been anti-immigrant in nature but are reluctant to believe that’s the case.

“It could be a competitor, I don’t know. Maybe somebody didn’t like us,” Sedat speculated.

The brothers are now waiting to learn how much of their losses will be covered by insurance, as they hope to start fresh at a new location nearby.

A friend has started a GoFundMe campaign to help them rebuild.

SQ Sgt. Marc Tessier told Global News that the investigation is ongoing, and as of now, there are no suspects.