We'll come back stronger, say My 1st Years as Northampton home completely destroyed by blaze

A firm whose Northampton home was 'completely destroyed' in a major fire yesterday (Saturday) have vowed to come back stronger.

The head office and distribution centre of personalised baby gift firm My 1st Years, in Caswell Road on the Brackmills Industrial Estate, went up in flames at about 1.30am with smoke billowing across the town.

At the height of the blaze eight fire appliances were in attendance to bring it under control, with My 1st Years later telling their hundreds of thousands of customers of their heartbreak after the incident at their home of seven years.

Now business founders Daniel Price and Jonny Sitton say they'll come back stronger than ever despite the cruel blow.

In a statement, they said: "While this is a devastating blow to the company and our 150 employees, just at a time when our business was hitting new heights, our overriding feeling is one of relief that no injuries or deaths have occurred.

"The fire brigade has confirmed to us that five vehicles responded to the extensive blaze on the Brackmills Industrial Estate and that nobody was hurt in the incident.

"We are life-long friends and have built this company from the ground up over a long and gruelling decade.

"Given the optimism we had been feeling of late, with the pandemic easing and business hitting record levels, this feels like a cruel blow at the worst possible moment.

"However, we want to reassure the public that we will overcome this. Please be patient with us, while we cannot accept orders at the moment we will keep you updated every step of the way back."

Slip roads off the A45 were closed for several hours yesterday with fire crews warning of disruption for the rest of the weekend.

This morning Northamptonshire Highways confirmed Brackmills was now fully open again, including Caswell Road.

A specialist fire investigation team was at the site yesterday, with the cause of the blaze not yet known.

The statement from Mr Price and Mr Sitton added: "We have lost what has been the home of the company for seven years. The building has been completely destroyed, as has our machinery and our photography studio. This is a staggering setback.

"But our USP is our personalisation on every item, our dedication, and our passion. That has not been lost. For that reason we know we will come back stronger than ever.

"We have always designed and personalised everything here in the UK, and no matter what happens now that will never change.

"Strategic discussions are already taking place as to how we can get our goods back into the hands of our treasured customers as quickly as possible.

"In closing, we would like to thank the men and women from Northamptonshire fire brigade for their bravery at the site last night."