Some stories are difficult to write because you don’t quite know where to begin.

This is one of them.

On 24 July, an explosion and fire at Highlands Farm changed the working lives of many of the people and businesses based there – including ours.

The flames may have been put out that day, but for those affected, the story didn’t end when the fire engines left.

In many ways, that was only the beginning.

Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve had a lot of conversations about what happened that day and, perhaps more importantly, everything that has happened since.

The practical problems. The uncertainty. The worry. The sleepless nights. And the enormous amount of work happening behind the scenes just to keep businesses moving.

But we’ve also talked about the other side of it.

People stepping up. Teams pulling together. Customers showing incredible patience. Businesses supporting one another. And the people who have simply stopped to ask, “Are you OK?”

For all of us at Careclean, it has been an incredibly difficult few weeks.

And while this is our reflection on what has happened, we’re very conscious that ours is just one of many businesses trying to find a way forward after the Highlands Farm fire.

📸 Image courtesy of Yedis Drone Shots

Realising just how serious it was

Our director, Pierre, and Laurence weren’t even in the country when the fire happened.

They were in France for her brother’s wedding when they first heard that there had been an incident at Highlands Farm.

Initially, Pierre thought it was something relatively minor.

It was only when he began looking at videos and news reports from France that the scale of what had happened really started to sink in.

But amongst the shock and upset, there was one overwhelming feeling.

Relief.

The explosion and fire happened late in the afternoon, after our Careclean team had left the site.

And when you strip everything else away, that is the most important part of this story.

Buildings can be rebuilt.

We can replace equipment.

People we can’t.

There is also enormous gratitude towards the firefighters and emergency services who responded, alongside a real awareness of just how devastating the fire has been for other businesses at Highlands Farm and for the landlord.

Some have lost virtually everything.

📸 Image courtesy of Yedis Drone Shots

When the reality starts to sink in

In the immediate aftermath, Careclean’s unit was still standing.

We hoped the team would be out for a few days, then return, clean up, and get back to work.

Unfortunately, it soon became clear that things wouldn’t be that simple.

More than two weeks later, the team still cannot access the unit.

Inside are tools, cleaning products, office equipment and machinery. Some of the company’s vans have remained trapped on the site too.

There are also customers’ rugs inside.

They had already been professionally cleaned, dried, wrapped and placed safely on shelves ready to be returned to their owners. Thankfully, they appear to have been unaffected by the incident.

The problem is that nobody can physically get to them.

And that perhaps sums up one of the hardest parts of the whole situation.

So much of what Careclean needs to get back to normal is potentially sitting right there.

They simply can’t reach it.

📸 Image courtesy of Yedis Drone Shots

The uncertainty nobody sees

When we hear about a fire affecting a business, it’s easy to think about the obvious things.

The building. The equipment. The vehicles. The financial cost.

What we don’t always see is everything that comes afterwards.

Pierre described uncertainty as one of the hardest parts.

If someone could give you a date and say, “You’ll have access then”, at least you could plan around it.

But when there isn’t a date, you’re left in limbo.

And that uncertainty follows you home.

Pierre admitted there have been plenty of two o’clock mornings spent awake thinking about everything.

The team.

Customers.

Cash flow.

Equipment.

The cost of replacing everyday items just to keep the business running.

It’s a reminder that behind every company affected by the Highlands Farm fire are real people trying to work out what happens next.

📸 Image courtesy of Yedis Drone Shots

A fire has a much longer tail than we realise

Something that has really stood out from hearing about the aftermath is just how far the knock-on effects spread.

A trapped van isn’t simply a trapped van.

It means a technician can’t go out and work.

Appointments have to be moved.

Customers are inconvenienced.

Income is lost.

Staff have to adapt.

The same applies to equipment.

A printer, some cleaning chemicals or a box of tools might seem insignificant in isolation. Having to replace all of those things at once, while also paying for new premises and trying to keep a business operating, is another matter entirely.

Then there is the potential loss of customers.

Even the most loyal customer eventually needs their work completed. If a business can’t provide that service because of circumstances completely outside its control, that customer may have no option but to go elsewhere.

That’s why the effects of what happened at Highlands Farm won’t disappear after a few weeks.

For some of the businesses involved, they could be felt for months or even longer.

And then you see people at their best

There has, thankfully, been another side to the last couple of weeks.

People have stepped up.

The Careclean team quickly found themselves working from new premises in Billericay.

Before they could get back to cleaning carpets, upholstery and rugs, however, there was another job to do.

The cleaners became painters.

Decorators.

Movers.

And, apparently, fairly enthusiastic DIY experts.

Everyone mucked in to turn a basic new unit into somewhere Careclean could begin operating from again.

Support also came from the wider Art of Clean and Art of Flooring teams, suppliers, the NCCA and Careclean’s new landlady.

Chris and Kerry at Alltech in Fowlmere were able to help in a particularly fortunate twist of fate.

One of Careclean’s vans was already with them for a repair when the fire happened, meaning it wasn’t trapped at Highlands Farm. Chris carried out an emergency repair to get the machine working so the team could at least get one vehicle back out earning.

Art of Clean also supplied a loan machine.

On paper, lending a machine or repairing a van might not sound particularly dramatic.

When you’re trying to rebuild the basic infrastructure of a business almost overnight, those gestures mean an enormous amount.

A room full of businesses in the same position

Pierre also attended a meeting organised with Chelmsford City Council and businesses affected by the fire.

The room was packed.

There were questions, frustration and emotion, and Pierre described a real sense of desperation amongst some of those there.

It’s perhaps one of the clearest reminders that Careclean is only one part of a much bigger story.

Some businesses at Highlands Farm have been completely destroyed.

There are units reduced to debris and vehicles that have been burnt out.

Careclean has undoubtedly been badly affected, but the team is very conscious that others have lost far more.

There was something else in that packed room too.

A sense that everyone was going through this together.

Careclean has tried to support fellow Highlands Farm businesses where possible. When carpet was needed for the new office, for example, they asked their carpet fitter from Highlands Farm to carry out the work.

It’s a small decision.

But perhaps those small decisions matter more than ever right now.

If affected businesses can continue using and supporting one another, everyone has a slightly better chance of getting back on their feet.

Chelmsford City Council has also provided some much-needed hope, listening to affected businesses and working on emergency grant support.

A grant won’t undo what happened, nor will it cover every cost.

But when businesses are suddenly paying for new premises, replacing equipment and dealing with immediate cash-flow pressures, any support can become a lifeline.

The response from customers

Another thing that has clearly meant a great deal to Pierre and Laurence has been the response from Careclean’s customers.

Many haven’t contacted them to ask when an appointment will be rearranged or when their rug will be returned.

They’ve simply asked whether everyone is OK.

Some of those messages have genuinely touched them.

Of course, there has been frustration too.

And Careclean understands that.

Imagine moving all your furniture because you’re expecting your carpets to be cleaned, only to find out that your appointment needs to be postponed.

Or expecting your freshly cleaned rug back on Wednesday and suddenly discovering that it may be several weeks before it can be returned.

That’s disappointing.

Nobody at Careclean wants to dismiss that frustration simply because the circumstances are unusual.

Their approach has been to keep communicating as openly as possible, even when they don’t have all the answers themselves.

So, where does Careclean go from here?

Right now, there is one very immediate hope.

Safe access to Highlands Farm.

The team wants to recover customers’ rugs, equipment, tools, products and anything else that can be saved.

Alongside that, work continues in Billericay to turn the new premises into a proper home for Careclean and get the whole team back doing what they do best.

And there’s something Pierre said that I think sums up where the business is now.

Careclean has been going since 1984.

There’s a lot of history behind those words.

One fire, however devastating, doesn’t erase it!

If anything, the events of the last few weeks have already made the team look differently at the business…  how they work, the systems they use and how Careclean might operate in the future.

Pierre hopes that perhaps six or twelve months from now, they’ll be able to look back and recognise that although this was a terrible event that hurt a lot of people, it also forced them to think differently.

It could even make the business stronger.

24 July is unlikely to be a date that anyone involved will forget.

Right now, it represents something incredibly sad.

But perhaps, with time, it can represent something else too.

The day after which people pulled together.

The day a team refused to give up.

And the beginning of Careclean’s next chapter.

For everyone who has sent a message, offered equipment, helped prepare the new premises, rearranged an appointment, supported another Highlands Farm business or simply asked, “Are you OK?” – thank you.

Careclean is still here.

They’re rebuilding.

And there’s a lot more of their story still to come.