'It's a terror to God’: Owner of much-loved Cork city bakery thanks emergency services and hopes to reopen soon

The owner of Cork’s oldest bakery, which was destroyed in a fire on Wednesday morning, has spoken of her “eternal gratitude” to emergency responders and members of the community who have rallied to her aid.

The fire broke out early on Wednesday morning.

Rachel Healy, owner of Healy’s Bakery on Great William O’Brien St in Blackpool, told The Echo: “It’s a terror to God, the oldest bakery, it lasted 162 years, and now it’s burnt down,” she said, adding that the full impact of the fire was still hitting her. 

“I was shaking earlier; they had to put one of those heat blankets on me because I got really, really cold and frozen, and went into complete shock,” Ms Healy said.

She said she was overwhelmed at the kindness and support from emergency services and the local community, something she would never forget. “I would like to thank people for their outpouring of support, and they have my eternal gratitude for all of their help and offers of help. It means so much; people are just so, so kind,” she said.

Ms Healy said she had received several offers of temporary accommodation for the bakery, but all of her equipment was destroyed in the fire. 

“I’d been collecting my working implements over 35 years and they’re just gone. I just have to start collecting again.”

Founded in 1862, the bakery has been in the same family for six generations, and Ms Healy, who has worked there for 35 years, said she could not believe what had happened.

She said all of the bakery’s seven staff had said they wanted to get back to work as soon as possible. 

“God help them, they’re all so decent. There’s a gang of us and we’re all there forever, so please God we can get back soon,” Ms Healy said. 

“We don’t know how long it’s going to take us to get back up in action.

“By the time we have a roof put back on and the entire place cleared out, and recladded and refloored, and all that stuff.”

Ms Healy said CCTV showed that the fire began when an electrical fault in a fridge caused sparks to ignite paper bags and cake boxes stacked at the back of the shop.

“Gardaí were able to show me; you see a spark flying out of the back of the fridge, and I went, ‘What’s that line there?’ and they said, ‘That’s a spark,’ and then there’s another spark and next thing you just see the whole lot and it’s just gone.

“In 10 minutes, the whole place is on fire, in 10 minutes, and then it goes black; the cameras and the modem are all gone.”

Ms Healy said the roof was destroyed and the building gutted, and she was waiting on an insurance assessment before she could evaluate her options.