Arson suspected after blaze guts South Plympton restaurant
A South Plympton restaurant owner has been left devastated after a suspicious fire tore through his newly renovated Indian eatery in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Fire crews were called to Dial-A-Curry on Marion Road just after 4.30am. Six trucks, including an aerial platform, worked to contain the blaze but the building could not be saved.
Owner Mohit Gupta said he received the call just before 5am and rushed to the scene, only to find his restaurant engulfed in flames.
“When I arrived, the damage was done,” Gupta said. “At that point, they (firefighters) were smashing the glass to let the smoke out of the shop. But it wasn’t safe for anyone to go in.”
The fire has left the popular restaurant completely gutted, with the roof collapsed and windows smashed. For Gupta, the destruction comes just weeks after he had completed renovations in time for the festive season.
Gupta believes the fire was deliberately lit. He said four of his CCTV cameras had been tampered with before the blaze.
“I believe someone did this intentionally because our cameras are tampered,” he said. “One is broken, one is face down, one is tampered and one is snapped.”
South Australia Police have confirmed the fire is being treated as suspicious.
Detectives and fire cause investigators examined the scene on Wednesday morning. Thankfully, no one was inside at the time and no injuries were reported. Damage has been estimated at around $400,000.
Authorities have closed southbound traffic on Marion Road from Cross Road while emergency services remain on site.
The fire is the second suspected arson attack this week, following another blaze at a Woodville South tobacco shop on Monday. In that case, crews arrived to find the front of the business alight but were able to put out the flames quickly.
Jonathan Jackson, 20th August 2025
