The damage at the Sahna Yoga studio in Primrose Hill

A HOT yoga studio owner has told how she lost everything in a devastating fire but has been handed a lifeline to keep going.

Olivia Barata Cavalcanti saw Sahna Yoga in Primrose Hill wrecked by flames and smoke and has been told it will be almost impossible to rebuild on the site near the railway.

“When the fire happened I was on the street looking at everything going down in flames,” she said.

“I was bawling my eyes out and random people just stopped to hug me. I think I’ll never forget that. I’m honestly heartbroken. Yoga places are very much for the community and obviously the biggest part of me is just grateful that no one was hurt. I didn’t expect it to be the devastating fire that it was. It’s completely gone, everything is gone.”

As the New Journal reported last week, the fire took hold across two businesses at the ­corner of Regent’s Park Road just after the morning rush hour on January 30.

They were based in what had once been the old Primrose Hill rail station.

The cause of the fire has been classed as “undetermined” by the London Fire Brigade and no further information has been provided.

Ms Barata Cavalcanti, who is originally from Brazil, started Sahna Hot Yoga over three years ago.

At the time of the fire a class was taking place and the studio had to be evacuated after smoke started pouring in.

She added: “We recently refurbished, so everything was new. January was going so well, I thought everything was working. We had amazing teachers and our community was behind us and then this happened and we lost everything, I couldn’t even save one mat.”

Olivia Barata Calavcanti with Jodie Perry

The yoga business, however, is already back running classes after being offered the chance to open in Soul Studio in Berkeley Grove – just a couple of minutes away from the fire site.

It followed a chance meeting with Jodie Perry, who runs the studio there and decided to hand over the lease to Ms Barata Cavalcanti.

The first classes at the new address began on Monday.

“It felt like fate,” said Ms Barata Cavalcanti, adding: “Jodie’s community has been very welcoming. The financial loss is incredible and I don’t think I’m ever going to recover not even a third of what I lost but the fact that I’m still here and my clients are still coming is the most important thing.

“It was very emotional on the first day back, there were quite a few tears but I think people are very grateful.”

Ms Perry opened Soul Studio in November 2024 but said there had been financial challenges.

She said: “There have been ups and downs, going really well and then real struggles. The biggest struggle is financial. Quite often when you are doing things out of love and wellbeing the financial side is much trickier.

“When Olivia and I sat down, I did not know if I could even get through the next month, or next couple of months. That’s where the timing aspect of this situation was bizarre.”

She added: “I’m sitting across from a woman who has lost everything but has this community, and knowing that maybe in a month I couldn’t continue the studio and then nothing would be there.

“There was this opportunity to save something so that at least something can continue to exist.”

Ms Barata Cavalcanti added: “While I lost my business in just a few hours I had yoga studios and owners reach out to me in Shoreditch. I’m just grateful to the Sahna community and that they are sticking with me even if the place is not exactly perfect. I’m grateful for the Soul Studio because they have been so welcoming, patient and understanding and Primrose Hill in general.”

The scene in Primrose Hill on the day of the fire

The other business affected by the fire, Tann-Rokka, a home furniture shop, did not want to comment.

The fire had been visible over long distances due to the billowing smoke. The brigade brought in a 32-metre turntable ladder to tackle it, due to its awkward location by the railway.

The New Journal understands that because the building sits directly over railway lines Network Rail engineers have advised business owners that rebuilding any commercial premises on the site would now be difficult.

There are also likely to be calls to bring back a station.

The trains ceased stopping there in 1992 but some say a useful rail route was lost at that time.

It had also been called Chalk Farm station.

The cost of a new station is likely to create even more challenges, however, and is seen as an unlikely scenario.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “Network Rail’s structural engineers are continuing to assess the condition of the Primrose Hill old station building following the recent fire. It is too early to determine the long-term future of the structure, and no decisions have been made about potential future use of the site.

“Our immediate priority is to make the building safe and to support the ongoing investigations. Once structural assessments are complete, we will work with our contractors and relevant stakeholders to understand what options may be available for the site and what further work will be required.

“We appreciate this is an unsettling time for the businesses affected, and we will continue to keep them updated as more information becomes available.”