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Future Uncertain for Burned-Out Bakery

HONESDALE, Pa. — The future of a beloved bakery in part of Wayne County is in question after flames gutted much of the place on the same day the owner was...

HONESDALE, Pa. -- The future of a beloved bakery in part of Wayne County is in question after flames gutted much of the place on the same day the owner was celebrating her 95th birthday.

Day's Bakery closed a few years ago. The owners retired and the business has been for sale ever since.

Mrs. Day never thought at 95 years old she would be celebrating her birthday on Sunday and then having to watch as her family's life work burned.

One day after flames scorched what was once Day's Bakery in Honesdale, the place was boarded up, the siding melted. And a sense that, of all days for this to happen, was Doris Day's 95th birthday party.

"I can't imagine any party ever ending like that. It's too much," Day said.

The family's matriarch had just returned home after her party when she noticed something was wrong in the bakery. The business has been closed three years, but a relative baked treats for the party just last week.

Day is staying at a neighboring business for now. Investigators found a faulty refrigerator to blame for all the damage, including to her home upstairs.

"I'm fine. The house is a mess, saw the upstairs, not the downstairs. We'll get it straightened out."

Day's Bakery in Honesdale has been closed for a number of years now, and a lot of people hoped it would come back eventually. Now, the Day family fears the recipes long held by the family have been lost to fire.

"They're there, not sure how much they burned."

Neighbors were worried they were going to lose more than a landmark but also Mrs. Day.

"It was scary. It was really scary," Margaret Keegan said. "Day's Bakery has been there since we're little kids. We all grew up together and love each other. We're a huge family. We would do anything."

Folks who came to Day's for everything from bread to donuts and cookies had always hoped it would reopen and now, that's uncertain.

"I was hoping someone would take it over. I don't know. Saw pictures from the fire department, doesn't look likely unless they start from scratch," Kathy Taninies said.

The Day family tells Newswatch 16 there was a handshake agreement with a potential buyer for the business, but now, that could be in jeopardy. They're waiting to hear back from the insurance company.

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