Following Thursday’s shop fire on MacKay St, Rochester, GoFundMe pages have been created for Maxavily for Hair owner Angie Simpson and The Town Barber owner Matt McMillan.
Emergency services responded to the blaze about 5am on Thursday, December 5, after two men allegedly lit a fire inside the tobacconist at 54 MacKay St.
Maxavily for Hair shares the same building and was significantly damaged as a result.
Ms Simpson has dealt with flooding at her business multiple times and is uninsured. Thursday was also her son’s birthday.
“I was woken up at 5.30am to say that my shop is on fire,” she said.
“As far as I’m aware, someone has firebombed the smoke shop, and because we all share the same roof cavity it has caused extensive damaged.
“A month ago, I got flooded again, and this has happened to me four times.
“I’ve seen it all since the (October 2022) floods.”
Mr McMillan’s business also shares the site and has been badly affected.
Mr McMillan lives in the building with his dog, Ruby, and is grateful they were both not on the premises at the time of the fire.
“As shattering as it is losing everything that I have, I can say I’m glad that both I and my dog Ruby were not present at the time of the incident,” he said in a statement on Thursday.
“I can’t say I have any answers yet as for when I’ll be cutting again, but I’ll be sure to keep you all updated via (Instagram) or personally about upcoming bookings.”
Fundraisers have been set up for Ms Simpson and Mr McMillan to provide financial help.
Mr McMillan acknowledged the support of the community in a statement shared to Instagram on Sunday.
“Just wanted to jump on here quickly to say thank you to everyone who has reached out to offer support of all kinds,” he said.
“Feeling super grateful for the people within all avenues of my life and the whole community.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I couldn’t be more proud to call this place home.”
Ms Simpson will be operating out of Gypseastorm Hair Studio from Thursday, December 12, fulfilling appointments in the busy Christmas period.
“I have been lucky enough to have been offered a space to continue to provide hairdressing services from in Rochester,” she said in a statement on Facebook.
“I am currently in the process of replacing all of my equipment — even my precious scissors — so I will need a couple of more days before I can open up again.”
The fundraiser for Angie Simpson is accessible via gofundme.com/f/help-angie-get-on-her-feet-after-devastating-fire
For Matt McMillan’s page, head to gofundme.com/f/v54ww-help-matt-get-back-on-his-feet
Head to page 5 for the full story about the fire and latest information from Victoria Police.