A mum-of-two has been left heartbroken after her business was set alight using petrol in the early hours of the morning, leaving her thousands out of pocket.
Heather Wooliscroft has opened up about her business, Flippin' Good, being the subject of suspected arson just over a year since opening. Her food van, which sits outside of the Phoenix Hotel throughout the football season, has served football fans on matchdays throughout the course of the season.
The mum-of-two said to the ECHO that the business has meant everything to her and her children over the last year, as she juggles being a mum and training to be a secondary school English teacher at the same time. The 38-year-old said: "It's so shocking because I've always wanted to build a business in the community and our aim is to not just create a good business but also serve the community.
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"We've done community events at the Phoenix Hotel and we've done some events at the British Legion in Netherton as well. It means everything to us.
"When I went down in the early hours of the morning, the fire brigade had even warned us that we weren't going to be able to salvage the van, but you always have that bit of hope that it's not that bad and maybe we can salvage stuff but everything is completely destroyed."
Heather, from Netherton, also revealed the extent of the damage, and also the danger, with the fire lucky not to have spread to other parts of the van where gas canisters were stored. She said: "We're lucky no one was killed because our van had four gas bottles in it. They set fire to the end where the door is but at the other end there were the gas bottles.
"The firefighters said when we arrived that it was so hot in the van that it was just a matter of time before they blew up, and it could have been fatal. Luckily the firefighters were quick to get there."
A Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson told the ECHO: "Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service crews were called to an incident on Foley Street, Liverpool in the early hours of Wednesday, 18 May. Crews were alerted at 3.17am and on scene at 3.22am. Two fire engines attended.
On arrival, crews found one catering trailer well alight. Firefighters used a high-pressure hose reel to extinguish the fire. Merseyside Police were also in attendance. A joint investigation has taken place."
A GoFundMe has now been set up to help Heather get back on her feet following the blaze that has decimated her business. To read more and donate, click here.
