WARWICK TWP., Lancaster County, Pa. - Specialty Bakers in Lancaster County suffers significant damage following an early morning fire Tuesday.Crews spent more than 12 hours on scene putting the fire out and investigating the cause.
All employees were able to make it out of the building safely when flames broke out at the bakery around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Flames and smoke were visible miles away in Warwick Township.
"I've never really seen something go from what looked like a moderate small fire to just devastating conditions in a very short amount of time," said Lititz Fire Company Fire Chief Ron Oettel.
Where the fire started in the building made it difficult for firefighters to gain control.
Oettel says he believes the fire started in an oven and spread so quickly into the rook structure fire crews just couldn't get ahead.
"The amount of machinery and production line materials in there in a relatively small space just made it difficult for our crews to safely and comfortably move around," said Oettel. "We could never really get to the seed of the fire as much as we would have liked to."
To help the firefighters battling the fires for hours, Bombergers Hardware Store owner Bob Resch and his wife came in early to open their cafe to give out coffee and cookies.
To see those fellas out there giving up, first of all their workdays, I'm sure," said Resch. "Some of them don't get paid for the time that they put in and doing that to save a building and not in this case, but to save lives, it's a pretty big deal."
Specialty Bakers issued the following statement regarding the fire:
Our plant suffered substantial damage, but we are relieved that all of our employees were evacuated safely with no injuries. Our team is the best in the business. It’s heartwarming, that so many in our community have reached out to show their support. It’s good to know that in difficult times we live and work in a close-knit community. Our company is working with our customers to seek alternate sources for products until we can rebuild our Lititz plant, and we will rebuild. It is too early to know the cause of the fire, however the company will support the fire marshall’s investigation and cannot have any further comment until it’s completed.
The investigation has been turned over to the Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal.