A Hoppers Crossing business owner whose factory was destroyed by fire last week has been flooded with offers of help to keep his business afloat.
A&A Jumping Castles owner Michael Andrew said he had had about 50 phone calls from companies offering him trucks and jumping castles so he can honour any bookings.
Meanwhile, an online fundraiser set up by Mr Andrew’s son, Luke, has raised nearly $6000 to help the family business rebuild following the arson attack.
“It’s fantastic, it’s helped me to get over the grief,” Mr Andrew said.
“No one got hurt … we’re still healthy, we’ve got a roof over our head, and food. We’ll just buy equipment and work from home and slowly, slowly, [rebuild] and finish jobs off – I don’t want to let customers down.”
His Graham Court factory was gutted by fire when a blaze broke out just after midnight on Thursday, spreading to two neighbouring factories.
A truck outside the premises was also destroyed by the fire.
Metropolitan Fire Brigade and Country Fire Authority crews spent nearly two hours getting the fire under control, using aerial appliances to subdue the blaze.
Mr Andrew has run the Hoppers Crossing business – which rents themed jumping castles, amusement rides, bull riding, giant slides – for 18 years, 10 of those at the Graham Court site.
According to son Luke, the family’s insurance policy didn’t cover fire damage to the factory and its contents.
In a message on the Go Fund Me page, Luke said CCTV footage from surrounding factories revealed a car approaching the factory and an occupant attempting to force entry.
When that failed, the offender “broke a window and threw in a bomb-type item, which exploded inside”.
Victoria Police would not comment on the investigation, only to say it was ongoing.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000
