'You can't get them again': Dozens of wedding dresses destroyed in store fire
Dozens of Queensland brides have been left devastated after they were told their specially designed wedding dresses had been destroyed by a fire.
Almost 200 dresses, many of them wedding gowns, went up in smoke when a fire broke out at an Ipswich bridal store on Tuesday night.
A store that normally brings so much joy now faces the arduous task of delivering a heartbreaking message to many brides-to-be.
“It was like I had swallowed my heart, tears come out just looking at it,” store owner Chris told 7 News.
“Some of the dresses are one-offs, you can’t get them again.”
Despite facing a $140,000 loss, Chris said the focus was now to make sure every bride got her dress, one way or another.
"We've got to notify the customers to let them know that we'll get their order to them, it's just a matter of ordering and waiting,” he added.
After 20 years in coal mining, Chris and his wife Noi followed their dreams and opened the store in January this year.
They now have to start from scratch again.
"I feel really sorry for the brides, I hope there are no weddings this weekend,” one local told 7 News.
It's suspected the fire started from a fuse box inside the store.
