Greenock barber back in business just days after devastating fire

CM Barbers on Sinclair Street was consumed by flames on Monday night, leaving its interior destroyed and its roof badly damaged.

It was a sleepless night for business owner Caroline Darrah who could only look on as her premises was left in ruins.

READ MORE: Greenock's CM Barbers badly damaged after late night fire

But now thanks to the help of the local community and the kindness of her landlord Jai Dhillon, she has been able to re-open her business on Thursday in the old post office building next door.

(Image: George Munro)

Caroline said: “Tuesday was the worst day of my life.

“The last couple of days have been heartbreaking, I’ve hardly had any sleep at all.

“The roof fell in and there was a lot of water damage, there was black smoke and charcoal all over our equipment which meant it was too damaged to salvage.

“On Wednesday I had to go to Salon Services and bought all new equipment for the staff so we could get going again.

“My main concern was making sure the staff had jobs to come back to, I was focused on getting them new kit and getting them settled.

“When we opened the door at the post office and had four customers straight away, it was amazing. It was like nothing had changed.”

Despite the catastrophic damage wrought by the blaze, engineers have told Caroline that the building’s structure remains sound.

The 52-year-old expects work to rebuild the premises and install a new roof to start in around a fortnight and hopes to be back to normality within a few months.

She told the Telegraph that it would have been impossible for her business to get back on its feet so quickly without the heroic efforts of Jai and his family.

(Image: George Munro)

She added: “Jai doesn’t get the recognition he deserves, he’s gone over and above.

“He stayed up all night with us and his daughters were coming down through the day to make sure I was ok and see if I needed anything, they’ve been with us the whole way.

“But it was a case of one door closing and another opening, we fell down but we’ve got right back up.

“Jai and his family have been the heroes in all of this, there’s nothing I can do to thank them enough.

“They had faith in me that I could get up and keep going, so I’ll show them they were right to back me by going forward.”

When word got out about the fire, Caroline says she received a deluge of messages and offers of help from locals.

She said: “I’ve been really overwhelmed by the support we’ve had for the community.

“A lot of businesses have been good enough to reach out and offer us shop space and ask if we need any equipment, which was really nice of them.

“People have donated sensory toys for the autistic children to use.

“I want to thank all of our neighbours and everybody further afield who’s contacted us.

“Barber and Groom, Karma in Gourock, Brownlee on Dubbs Road and David Carney have all reached out to offer their help, which we’re so grateful for.

“All I need now is a good night’s sleep! I’ve had a few tears, but I’m scared to cry in case I don’t stop.

“Now we’re going again I’m just looking forward to seeing all the kids back in before they start back at school so they can get their hair cut and their lollypops.”