The Delaware Office of the State Fire Marshal has not yet listed a cause for the Christmas Eve fire in Elsmere that heavily damaged a well-known bakery in the Delaware municipality.
The blaze, reported shortly after 6 p.m., at the Serpe and Sons Bakery at 1411 Kirkwood Highway. Elsmere Fire Company firefighters encountered flames shooting through the roof.
The amount of fire damage could hot be immediately determined, although unconfirmed reports indicated the building was heavily damaged if not destroyed. Two firefighters were reportedly sent to the hospital for observation.
The bakery, in a social media post, said the store will be closed until further notice, with work under way to restore phone service. The bakery owner told the News Journal,(paywall subscription) rebuilding would take place, but did not yet have an opening timeframe.
New Castle County Paramedics were called to stand by at the scene. No injuries were reported. Multiple fire companies from Wilmington and adjacent areas also responded. Kirkwood Highway was closed for a time.
The fire was one of the first with images taken from a drone aircraft. The video above was posted on YouTube, and the Federal Aviation Administration registration was listed in the video commentary. Many drones now require such registration and are barred from areas near airports.
Christmas Eve is the busiest day of the year for the family-owned bakery, which is well known for its cookies and cannolis, as well as sub rolls. The blaze occurred after the bakery closed.
Serpe’s was established 1952 when Domenico and Lucille Serpe established Serpe & Sons Bakery in Wilmington.
By 1964, the bakery moved to their current location on the east end of Kirkwood Highway.
The bakery delivers its rolls to sub shops in New Castle County and into adjacent states, according to its website.Christmas Eve averages close to 1,000 orders each year.
