Firefighters praised for swift response to St Helier dry cleaners blaze - Jersey Evening Post
by Tom Innes · Jersey Evening PostPosted inNews
Firefighters praised for swift response to St Helier dry cleaners blaze
by Tom Innes 10 June 20269 June 2026
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WEDDING dresses were among the items of clothing damaged by a fire at a St Helier dry cleaners.
A clear-up operation started yesterday at Rayners in Beresford St after the blaze the previous evening, which saw residents from upstairs flats led to safety by firefighters.
Michael Caro, co-owner of the business, expressed his relief that no-one had been hurt, with the shop’s alarms having functioned effectively to ensure a swift response by the fire service.
“The fact that everyone was safe was the most important thing, and hopefully there’s been no damage to the upstairs flats,” he said. “The first fire engines were here very quickly and all the emergency services did a fantastic job to respond so quickly and effectively.”
Mr Caro said that staff were now seeking to assess the extent of the fire, including cataloguing what items had suffered damage.
“We have a list of all our customers’ details, and we will be working through it to contact everyone,” he said. “Fortunately we have another unit [on the opposite side of Beresford Street] where we can operate from.
“A lot of the clothing was in storage in the other shop, but there were items here which have been damaged, and our top priority is contacting people who had things to collect for the weekend, including wedding dresses.”
The fire service, which sent four appliances to the scene and used six firefighters in breathing apparatus to go into the blazing building and extinguish the blaze, has started an investigation into the cause of the fire.
Mr Caro said he could not comment on how the fire may have started, but confirmed that he had notified the business’s insurers.
The co-owner also paid tribute to the support from neighbours and customers, many of whom – including St Helier’s Constable-elect Inna Gardiner – had been in touch to express their support for employees.
“There has been a great response from the community, coming in to make sure the staff are ok, bring coffees and showing they are here for us,” he said. “It’s not easy for small businesses in the current climate, and then this happens, but we will do our best to sort this out and move forward.”
The fire saw parts of St Helier town centre closed from the time the alarm was raised, at around 8.30pm on Monday, until late in the evening. Police officers were on hand to divert traffic, with ambulance crews also on the scene but in the end not required to treat any casualties.
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