As soon as you walked in, you could smell butter tarts and freshly made gingerbread. But now the smells of smoke and soot are prevalent, following a huge fire on Friday morning at the Tighe Street store. Ottawa Fire Services received a call at 6 a.m. that flames were coming from the roof and sides of the bakery. According to the fire department, the one-story addition to the rear of a residence was completely engulfed in flames. Firefighters were able to contain the fire at the home, but the bakery was destroyed, owner Richard Palframan said. “I opened the door. I could hear the fire,” said Palframan, who was in the bathroom when it broke out. “I ran into the kitchen to try to get my phone. There was no fire in the kitchen. I ran in and pulled my hair out and ran out the front door.” Palframan told the CBC that everything from family heirlooms to kitchen equipment to food — including freshly decorated gingerbread houses — was lost. “It’s a disaster in there,” he said. “Everything is gone… every drawer we open, there’s black soot everywhere.” Palframan assesses what’s left of Manotick’s bakery after the fire forced it to close for the busy holiday season. (Rachelle Elsiufi/CBC)
“Twenty years of kicking my ass”
Palframan started the Gingerbread Man in 1988 in Toronto and moved the business to the southern Ottawa community of Manotick in 2001. Those weeks before Christmas are supposed to be his busy time, he said. He and his wife Kaori worked tirelessly to design gingerbread houses and stock the shelves with Christmas-themed cookies and pastries – including their signature butter tarts. “In the next six weeks we’re doing thousands [gingerbread] houses and thousands of cookies, and it’s all gone. So there is nothing we can do about this season. Left. We’ve been working on it for eight months to get to this point.” Palframan says they won’t be open for the Christmas season, but hope to return sometime in the next few years. “It’s just, you know, it’s been 20 years since I broke my butt to fix it. And now it’s gone.”
Hopes to be rebuilt
Fortunately, all was not lost: Palframan was able to save his recipe book and cookies. He said he hopes to start rebuilding soon. The community has already started getting involved, with an online fundraiser already raising more than $16,000 as of Sunday afternoon. Palframan managed to save his recipe book and all his cookies from the fire. (Rachelle Elsiufi/CBC) “When it’s time to clean up, half the village will be here to help them clean up. I know that,” said Ann Baron, who lives across the street from the bakery. Baron was in bed Friday morning when Palframan began pounding on her door, telling her to call 911. “The flames were reaching up to the sky,” he told the CBC. It was a shock for everyone.” As of Sunday, there is still no information on the cause of the fire. Baron said the Gingerbread Man has been a staple in the neighborhood for decades. Throughout the weekend many residents stopped by the bakery to offer their support, which didn’t surprise her. Baron says the fire came as a shock to everyone in Manotick, but he’s not surprised people flocked to the bakery to offer their support. (Rachelle Elsiufi/CBC) As for Palframan, the sooner he starts rebuilding, the sooner the Gingerbread Man will return to Manotick. “We have to think about what kind of structure we want and what we’re going to do with this place, because it’s a blank slate now,” he said. “We must dream a little.” Ottawa Morning3:01 Fire destroys Gingerbread Man bakery in Manotick Gingerbread Man owner Richard Palframan told CBC News he plans to rebuild the business – after his store was destroyed by fire early Friday. Neighbor Ann Baron says the community is rallying behind the store owner.
