Long time dry cleaning business destroyed by fire, with owner urging clients to make contact

The owner of a much-loved Werribee dry cleaning business gutted by fire overnight has vowed to rebuild. With many clothes among the destroyed goods, he has urged clients to get in touch as soon as possible.

The fire tore through Masters Dry Cleaners in Werribee on Monday night.

The owner of a much loved Werribee family business gutted by fire overnight has vowed to rebuild.

The blaze broke out at Masters Dry Cleaners on Watton St about 10.30pm on Monday.

David Hudson, whose family has owned dry cleaning stores in Werribee fore more than 70 years, told the Wyndham Leader the cause of the fire was not yet known but it is believed to have started near the front counter.

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“We’ve been in to have a look at the damage — the whole shopfront is completely fire damaged, including customers’ garments,” he said.

“Some people had heaps of stuff here, nearly half their wardrobe.

“I suppose it’s lucky it wasn’t last week or there would have been so many school blazers around but there’s never a good time for something like this to happen.”

Mr Hudson said firefighters had “left no stone unturned” to make sure the site was safe and the blaze didn’t spread to nearby buildings.

“I think people were more worried Chatterbox (Cafe) had caught fire,” he said.

“If that burnt down Werribee would grind to an absolute halt.”

Mr Hudson said he had been buoyed by the outpouring of support from the community, including Chatterbox owner Sal, who made coffees for everyone who had helped battle last night’s blaze.

“We’ve had amazing community support already online and people have been coming down to check on us,” he said.

“It’s been great, really touching.

“Our main priority will be getting the word out to people who had garments here — it’s going to be a bit of a process but we are fully insured and it will all get sorted out in due course.”

A trestle table has been set up outside the Watton St store for customers to leave their details and Mr Hudson said items would be ferried to the family’s other stores, including in Albert Park, for cleaning.

Updates will be posted to the shop’s Facebook page.

“The equipment here is gone, the stuff’s gone but we’re still here and we’ll rebuild,” he said.

Mr Hudson’s grandparents opened the family’s first dry cleaning business in Station Place, Werribee in 1948, moving to the Watton St store in the 1970s.

The CFA has been contacted for comment.

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