NORTH BATTLEFORD — Despite a devastating fire, Kerr's Cleaners staff and owners are not giving up on the business.
A fire occuring overnight and extinguised at about 4 a.m. Thursday morning by the North Battleford Fire Department, has extensively damaged the interior of the long-standing dry cleaning business, however the building itself at 1152-100th Street appears to have seen only minimal damage. There were no injuries.
News of the fire spread quickly through the community.
“From everyone at Kerr's Cleaners, we want to express our sincerest gratitude for the outpouring of love and support from our friends, customers and community. It has instilled in us just how special this place is,” said co-owner Cassandra Germsheid in a release Friday. “There is nowhere better to be than The Battlefords.”
Germsheid added, “We know our customers are worried about items they had with us, and we want to ensure that we will be in touch with each and every person once we are able to assess things. It has been a struggle to accept the reality of the situation, but we are determined to move forward.”
Kerr's Cleaners has been operating for more than 70 years. It was established by the late Chick Kerr in 1946, then taken on after the death of Chick's wife Edith Kerr by Bernie and Fern Misselbrook, and purchased in recent years by Germsheid and Jesse Crozier of Battleford.
According to Deputy Fire Chief Dave Pratt, the fire was first reported by North Battleford RCMP who were on patrol around 11:50 p.m. late Wednesday night.
The fire department was notified and they responded to the scene at 11:52 p.m., and stayed on scene until about 4 a.m. in the morning to extinguish the fire.
Three fire apparatus were on scene including their aerial, and 14 staff were on scene fighting the fire. Deputy Chief Pratt and Fire Chief Lindsay Holm were on the scene.
The contents inside are deemed a "total loss", said Pratt, with the possible exception of some of the larger equipment. There was no real damage to the structure itself, though the fire crews did pull down some drywall in the ceiling to make sure the fire had not extended to the roof.
Germsheid says the fire department has indicated the fire likely started at an electrical plugin, and further investigation is still to be done before cleanup can begin.
Meanwhile, says Germsheid, Kerr's Cleaners' first priority is their customers.
“We know that the process can take months, however, so we will have a dedicated place for our customers to reach us. Please keep an eye on our website at kerrscleaners.com, facebook, or instagram for more updates.
The response from the community has been heartening, she says.
“In the end, we just want to say thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. We could not make it through this terrible ordeal if it wasn't for all of you.”
