Denton business owner loses nearly £100k in self storage fire

Victims of the Self Storage fire in Denton last weekend have been telling stories of how they’ve lost everything.

The fire began at Self Storage Tameside on Holland Street West on Sunday afternoon, with it quickly spreading through units.

Hundreds of people have now joined an online group to support each other through such a difficult time.

Many had their entire belongings stored in the units, including Rebecca Dakin, 25, from Denton, who had almost £100,000 of business stock kept in a unit with no insurance.

Her company, the Loa Box, sell boxes that help people practice the ‘Law of Attraction’, after Rebecca says it helped her change her life.

Now she fears all of her stock has gone as she waits to hear more from the storage facility.

“All my business stock was in there, I live less than five minutes away and as I get orders, I would go down and pick them up then post them out.

“It’s my only source of income and it’s all gone.

“When I first took out the unit I only had cardboard boxes in there so I didn’t get insurance.

“As my business has grown I’ve filled it up massively. I was due to bring out a children’s version of my boxes, I was so close.”

It’s extra stress for the young mum, who is due to give birth to a little baby boy in just four weeks time.

She added: “Everyone says if you’re having a baby in four weeks you need to slow down, but I can’t. 

“We’re talking close to £100,000 worth of stock.

“I was not taking a profit from the business, I just kept reinvesting.

“Everyone’s said they admire my resilience. I spent all night crying in bed but then I thought ‘no’. I had to pick myself back up and carry on. I want to prove to others that these things can happen but sitting and crying about it can’t stop you.”

Despite such a huge loss, others have come together to offer their support.

A GoFundMe page has been set up, to help cover losses for those that have lost possessions.

Gemma Louise Barker, 38, lives in Oldham and had belongings stored in a unit affected by the fire. She helped set up the donation page and says she wants to help as many as she can.

She said: “I’ve had a few women message me saying they were fleeing domestic violence and put their stuff in there.

“We want to raise as much as we can as I don’t know how many are affected.

“People who have had a bereavement and lost their loved ones had things in there.

“I lost my son seven years ago and I don’t know if his things are ok or not.

“I sent an email at 6am on Monday morning and received nothing in response.”

Posting on their Facebook page, Self Storage Tameside (Manchester) acknowledged “the distress and anguish caused by the events of Sunday” and said “our thoughts are with each and every one of our customers who have received news over the last couple of days of damage or loss of their belongings and treasured memories.”

They also apologised for the wording of their original email to customers, which many had complained about being “impersonal”.

You can donate to the GoFundMe page by visiting 

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