CHICOPEE — Dee Fernando, owner of Sri Lankan restaurant Island Spice , said her food truck caught fire Thursday morning while on the way to a catering event.

Fernando was emotional as she relayed information to a reporter about what had happened.

“My cousin was driving the truck, and I was in the back when it started smoking,” she said, in tears.

The food truck, which has been up and running since 2022, is unusable, she said.

“This truck was more than a kitchen on wheels — it was a piece of our heart and your community,” a Facebook post about the fire said.

Fernando said she spent thousands of dollars getting the proper equipment for the truck to protect it from fires and to make sure it was up to code.

The truck started smoking while Fernando was on her way to a catering gig at

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