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Anthony Phelps/STUFF
Little Ripples owner operators Leanne Baillie (L) and daughter Chance Steer said they were “heartbroken” and “gutted” after their food trailer was damaged “beyond repair” by a fire last Sunday.
A faulty fuse box is believed to be the cause of a devastating fire that saw a family’s food truck business go up in smoke last Sunday.
The family were left heartbroken after their fledgling business Little Ripples was destroyed by the fire just six months after they started trading at their site in Picton.
Leanne Baillie, who owns and operates the Country Fried Chicken franchise with her husband Nigel and daughter Chance Steer, said the food cart was beyond repair and the fire had put up to seven jobs at risk.
“It’s been hard, it’s heartbreaking; there’s so much been happening, I don’t know if I’m Arthur or Martha at the moment, there’s been lots of tears and lots of anger, I’m just so overwhelmed and so confused,” she said.
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Steer, who was second-in-command of the business said she had shed many a tear following the fire that destroyed the family business.
“I’m a little bit lost, I cried for about three days straight because I thought this was my little baby, so I’m feeling quite lost.
“I’m gutted. I loved working here; it was fun, it was a fun job and everyone was positive,” she said.
Baillie said she and her husband moved to Picton from Greymouth at the end of last year after selling their house and quitting their jobs to be closer to family and start their own business.
Anthony Phelps/STUFF
The fire was believed to have been started by a faulty fuse box in the food trailer on Sunday afternoon.
“We’ve just been building it up … we’ve built up our name, and I think we’ve done quite well.”
Baillie said they’d received many messages of support from the community and customers whom she said were as equally upset at the loss of their favourite eatery.
“Our Country Fried Chicken is so popular, and we were really renowned for our chips, everyone raved about them,” she said.
Baillie said the fire started in the fuse box despite everything being turned off. The fuse box was new as the trailer had only been fitted out in November last year, she said.
Anthony Phelps/STUFF
While the trailer itself was “beyond repair” it was hoped some of the equipment could be salvaged for future use.
“We’ve had the electrician in who has taken no responsibility, but I will get a second opinion and get an independent electrician in.”
To make matters worse, the food cart was uninsured at the time of the fire as the couple “were waiting on an insurance bundle to be processed”.
“Last week we went to Nelson and went and saw our insurance broker to do up a package, and they hadn’t got back to us (about it),” Baillie said.
A spokesperson for Fire and Emergency New Zealand said that the fire crew who attended have reported it as a suspected electrical fire.
A https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/little-ripples-give-a-little-page has been set up to help the family business get back on its feet.
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