LAST UPDATE | 5 hrs ago

ONE OF IRELAND’S oldest bakeries has been forced to close due to the damage caused by a fire in the early hours of this morning.

Healy’s Bakery in Blackpool, Co Cork, was established in 1862 and the family-run business spans six generations.

In a statement, gardai said they were alerted to an incident of criminal damage by fire at Healy’s Bakery this morning.

A spokesperson said the incident occurred at around 6am and that the investigation is ongoing.

Meanwhile, Cork City Fire Brigade said it was mobilised to reports of smoke just after 6am this morning, and shortly after the incident was upgraded to a live commercial fire.

A total of three pumping appliances, one hydraulic platform, and 23 fire personnel, including a senior officer, attended the scene.

A number of neighbouring properties were also evacuated and one person was taken to hospital.

Cork City Fire Brigade said the scene was handed over to gardaí for investigation and all fire units were back in their station before 9am.

‘Devastated’

Speaking to Cork’s 96FM Opinion Line with PJ Coogan, owner Rachel Healy said she was “devastated”.

“Unfortunately, we won’t be up and running for a couple of weeks anyway, or months even,” she added.

Healy described the smoke damage as “desperate”.

“Everything will have to be thrown out,” said Healy, “there’s nothing salvageable in food production.”

She said that the local community has been “very nice” and that people have “offered to come in and help”.

Healy said one of the staff members went in to open at six o’clock this morning, and he said there was smoke billowing out of the building.

“He called the fire brigade straight away and the whole inside, it went up in seconds,” said Healy.

She added that the bakery is now flooded and that Irish Water has been called upon because the pipes have “melted and burnt out and water is pouring everywhere”.

Healy, a sixth-generation baker, said she’s been “exhausted” by the fire and that the incident has been “emotionally draining”.

“I’m just distraught,” said Healy.

“When you’re working for 35 years making cakes and the next thing, the whole lot is gone.”

She added: “I just have to apologise to people who have birthday and christening and wedding cakes and all the celebration cakes for the weekend.”

Healy said she hopes her customers can understand and added that it’s “lovely” to be a “nice bit of history” when making cakes for people on special occasions.

“When you’re making a birthday cake for somebody and then they bring in their child and their grandchild and then their great grandchild, it’s just lovely.

“It’s a bit of history and it’s a nice bit of history.”