Written by Bye Magassa
On the night of January 12 to 13, 2026, the electrical panel of Stéphane Touche’s business caught fire. No injuries have been reported, but the only bakery in the town is closed until further notice, a hard blow for the isolated residents who took advantage of the place to meet and chat together.
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The windows of the store have been blackened by soot, a fine smoke continues to fill the ovens of the bakery and the smell of ashes remains omnipresent a few hours after the end of the fire.
At Donnery, everything happened very quickly. It was early this Monday morning of January 13, around 4 a.m., that Stéphane Touche woke up in the middle of the smoke.
I was getting up to go to work, and I heard it crackling downstairs.
Stéphane Touche, bakery manager
In the back of the store, the fire started from the electrical panel, before spreading to the entire ground floor. It is then impossible for the baker to leave his accommodation, located above this bakery of which he has been the manager for 12 years. It was the firefighters, called immediately, who finally evacuated him. The electrical panel was however up to standard, indicated Stéphane Touche, who is obliged to carry out regular checks at the request of insurance companies.
The news quickly spread on social networks and there were many intrigued faces in front of the bakery. This does not surprise Stéphane Touche, whose bakery was a friendly place frequented by the entire village. “During the week, we can have 250 customers during the day, sometimes more on weekendsconfides the baker, with a serious face, and on Sunday the queue could even go all the way to the sidewalk”.
In Donnery, the bakery was much more than a business, as Patrick Peltier, a friend of the baker, confirms: “The whole village gathered there, it was right opposite the bar and a stone’s throw from the town hall. For isolated people it was truly an essential meeting place”.
The store was fully accessible to elderly and disabled people, which made it even more inclusive.
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© Noah Gaume
The tragedy occurs at a time when the village was also in danger of losing its pharmacy before it was finally taken over. So, faced with this risk of seeing an essential local service disappear, many passers-by showed their support for the stricken baker: “The mayor offered to clear out some furniture, we had proposals for rehousing. It soothes the heart”recognizes Kathleen, Stéphane Touche’s daughter.
I have devoted all my weeks and all my holidays to this store for 12 years.
Stéphane Touche, bakery manager
This solidarity reflects the efforts made by the baker since he moved into the premises in August 2013 to make the place as accessible as possible.
Barely having time to realize the extent of the damage, the town had to organize the aftermath of the fire. The nearest bakery is now in Fay-aux-Loges, 3 kilometers away. The question of creating a new temporary bread depot was raised, without further information at the moment.
There I think it will take a while before reopening.
Philippe Pellé, owner of the premises
For his part, Stéphane Touche is consoled by only having material damage, but is worried about the future of his business. While awaiting the arrival of experts who will estimate the extent of the damage and reimbursements, he and his 7 employees still remain in the fog.
Article written by Noah Gaume
