Devastation as Healy’s Bakery in Cork gutted by fire

Rachel Healy, of Healy’s Bakery in Blackpool, which first opened in 1862, has spoken of her gratitude as offers of help and support flood in

Gardaí outside Healy's Bakery in Cork which was damaged by fire on Wednesday. Picture: Dan Linehan

The woman who runs one of Ireland’s oldest bakeries has spoken of her utter devastation after fire gutted her family’s 1860s-founded business.

But Rachel Healy, of Healy’s Bakery in Cork, the sixth generation of her family involved in the business, has also spoken of her gratitude as offers of help and support flood in.

She fought back tears as she awaited clearance to enter the building and survey the damage to the ovens and bakery area to the rear of the premises in Blackpool caused by the early morning blaze on Wednesday.

And she apologised to people who have ordered wedding, birthday and other family celebration cakes from them for this weekend, confirming the orders will not be delivered.

“I’m just in shock, to be honest. We won’t be operation for a while, I’d say,” she said.

“We have hundreds of cake orders out this week and for the weekend, for birthdays, for christenings, for parties, wedding cakes.

"I am so sorry. I am terribly sorry to the people who have ordered from us but there is obviously nothing I can do about it. I am so sorry to those people. All I can do is apologise. We are just in the horrors.” 

The alarm was raised at about 6am on Wednesday when smoke was spotted coming from the premises on Great William O'Brien Street.

Luckily, the staff who normally start work at 5am were scheduled to start work an hour later and there was no one in the building at the time.

Four units of Cork City Fire Brigade rushed to the scene and part of the street was sealed off. But when fire fighters got inside the building, they discovered the situation was more serious than initially suspected, and about 20 people from adjoining buildings on the terrace were evacuated as fire fighters began tackling the blaze.

The fire was confined to the rear of the ground floor and was brought under control quickly, preventing it from spreading to adjoining buildings. There were no injuries, but significant damage was caused to the bakery.

Rachel Healy outside Healy's Bakery. Picture: Dan Linehan

Two units of the fire brigade remained on scene until about 9am, before Garda forensic experts conducted an examination of the scene, with early indications suggesting the fire started accidentally.

Ms Healy said she was so relieved no one was hurt, but said it would take time to assess the damage, repair and reopen.

Offers of help have already been made, with the Old Mill Confectionary, based in the North Point Business Park nearby, among the first to step in.

Its owner, Danny Buckley, said they were willing to offer some of their space to Healy’s in the short-term and he would discuss possible options with Ms Healy in the coming hours.

Healy’s Bakery was founded by Michael Healy in 1862 in a premises on the Grand Parade.

Michael Healy, who founded Healy’s Bakery in 1862, with the bakery's bread van. 

The business bought its first bread van in 1929 and put it to good use delivering to homes, farms, and businesses across the city.

Almost a century on, the business is still family owned and family run, expanding from providing a wide range of breads and cakes, to also becoming specialists in wedding cakes, novelty celebration and birthday cakes.