Two bakeries in the Parksville area have been damaged by fire, both within a matter of hours.
The latest this afternoon, completely destroyed the small business.
Witness reports say the explosion was so intense, the ground shook as flames engulfed the French Creek Bakery.
The blaze began at about 1:00 pm .
All four employees inside were able to escape.
One person was taken to hospital to be checked for smoke inhalation.
Though it will be some time before they determine a cause, officials say they believe the fire started on the exterior of the building.
By the time crews arrived there was nothing fire fighters could do to stop it.
Parksville Fire Chief Marc Norris said, “when we arrived we found a fully involved structure with flames coming from all sides and two 150 pound propane tanks on the rear of the structure that were involved also.”
This fire happened just hours after a smaller fire at another bakery.
An investigation continues at The Sandcastle Bakery on the Old Island Highway in Parksville after the smaller blaze broke out yesterday afternoon, just before 5:00 pm.
There were no injuries.
No connection has been made between the two incidents at this point but fire officials have requested the assistance of RCMP.
Stacy Ross
