The devastating fire at Storage World saw swathes of customers lose their irreplaceable family keepsakes
The devastating fire at Storage World ripped through the building(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
A woman whose late dad’s precious belongings were inside a storage unit which burnt down to the ground has spoken of her anguish and desperation to salvage what’s left of her unit.
The devastating fire at Storage World in Middleton saw swathes of customers lose their irreplaceable family keepsakes, including of deceased loved ones. The blaze last week completely ravaged the huge building and raged on for days, rendering it a dangerous site which needs to be fully demolished.
Nobody was injured in the fire, which saw multiple streets taped off and a large emergency services presence in attendance. The Manchester Evening News understands the fire involved lithium ion batteries, with an investigation currently ongoing.
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Mollie Lord, 25, who had kept some of her late dad Warren’s possessions in the unit, has since slammed the response from the venue who have told her that items could not be retrieved from the building currently.
She claimed many of her dad’s possessions, including collectable Lego and his toolbox with pictures of the two of them inside, remain largely unscathed after seeing them on drone footage.
However Storage World CEO Rennie Schafer told the M.E.N that the business is currently operating at the mercy of building regulations, which have rendered the site unsafe to enter for items to be retrieved.
The company has since revealed that enquiries are being made as to how a demolition can be carried out in a way that would best salvage as many customer belongings as possible.
Aerial shots showed the scale of the damage(Image: Bradley Stott)
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Mollie, who has since set up a Change.org page to petition for customers to be able to hire in professionals to retrieve the goods externally, spoke of the recent ordeal.
“For people to watch their rooms being knocked down and a claw pulling down walls with their stuff is heartbreaking,” she said. “The fire service told me that some parts of the building were not damaged by the fire, and that it would mainly be heat, smoke and water damage.
“It seems there is an excuse for everything that is suggested by customers. No matter what route we take, there is something up against us.
Fire crews in attendance(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
“We are willing to pay privately for our stuff to be retrieved because it’s much more than just a fire. They would use machinery to remove items rather than a massive claw just pulling it all down into rubble.
“This has affected us in so many ways, because the items were so sentimental. Instead we can just see them tearing it all apart with our stuff in.
“The other day we watched the building be smashed down and people’s possessions went flying. It’s heartbreaking and it makes me feel physically sick that my dad’s stuff will be ruined when it’s all irreplaceable.”
Mollie’s dads toolbox with pictures and treasured memories inside(Image: Mollie Lord)
Mollie lost her dad Warren two years ago after a sudden illness aged 48. She described him as a ‘hard-working man’ who was ‘loved by everyone’ and well known in the Middleton area, where she grew up.
“I’ve been crying since I found out it was on fire,” she said. “I’m in shock that it’s even happening. I’ve not grieved my dad, and it feels like I’m grieving him all over again. I would give anything to sit with his stuff again.
“He was a hard-working man, loved and cherished by many. With a kind soul, he would do anything for anyone. His life was marked by dedication, and these belongings were what he had built up over all his years of life.
Mollie with her dad(Image: Mollie Lord)
“Swift access and permission is crucial for those of us who hold dear the memories of loved ones that these items represent. It’s not a case of just pulling the building down and moving on, because we can’t.”
Mollie’s online petition has gained traction in recent days, with over 500 signatures. It asks for customers affected to be able to hire in professionals to reclaim the items from the crumbling site and to ‘retrieve our invaluable possessions before more damage occurs’.
CEO Rennie Schafer issued an update saying there is currently no criminal investigation linked to the fire at the large storage unit and that enquiries are ongoing.
Demolition work began at the Storage World unit(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
Responding to the claims about retrieving items, he said the business is doing ‘all it can to salvage goods’ from the devastating fire but that this has to be done ‘safely and carefully’ given the presence of hazardous chemicals.
He recognised the update would ‘upset’ customers but said the action was ‘totally out of the control of Storage World’ who are ‘forced to comply with the orders of building control’.
“Building control has deemed the building unsafe as it may collapse at any time and contains hazardous chemicals,” he said. “This means no one may enter the building to salvage goods or for any other purpose. Seeing goods from a drone is very different to recovering them out of a collapsing contaminated building.
The site was ravaged by the flames (Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
“Furthermore, building control have ordered the building to be demolished in its entirety immediately. Storage World management are trying to determine if this can be done in a manner that will maximise the possibility of salvaging any goods found as the demolition occurs, rather than just demolishing the building and then going through the rubble.
“This will take time as contractors need to come on site to assess the situation and understand the conditions placed on them by building control.
“The reality is that the vast majority of the goods have been completely destroyed by the fire or the significant amount of water and fire fighting chemicals used to extinguish the fire. This is why the insurers are already providing claims forms to all customers to claim for a total loss.
“We appreciate that people have lost items that are important to them and not replaceable by money alone, that is why the business is doing all they can to salvage any goods possible.
“However the top priority is people’s safety, no one has been injured in this fire and we certainly don’t want anyone injured attempting to salvage goods. We must also comply with the decisions of building control and other authorities. We ask that customers remain patient while the business considers what options are realistically possible.”