Investigation underway after popular OKC bakery burns down

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — A popular Hispanic bakery in south Oklahoma City was gutted by a fire that one family member believes was set intentionally.

Surveillance video shows a person walking around La Oaxaquena Bakery and Restaurant near Southwest 29th Street attempting to set a fire on March 1.

After several tries, the building became engulfed in flames.

“It’s very hard not to see that as almost a personal attack,” said Emmanuel Vasquez, the owner’s son.

Security video shows the bakery being burned down.

“You can see a man come with buckets of gasoline to burn the building and to make sure it burned,” said Vasquez. “He was here for 20 minutes. So he gets the buckets, he breaks through the windows, pours it, and then he stays there watching to make sure that the job is done.”

Vasquez said his family is still trying to comprehend what happened at their business of over 15 years.

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“If someone wanted to do damage to my family, this would be how they do it. I mean, it’s what they did,” said Vasquez. “It really pains me to think that this was done with malice and with hatred.”

The Oklahoma City Fire Department said no one was in the building at the time of the fire.

The business is considered a total loss and damages totaled to more than $300,000.

“He didn’t try and steal anything. It was just smashed the windows, pour bucket, grab another bucket, smashed window, poor bucket. That really shows that it was intentional, that there was really his intention to do damage,” said Vasquez.

Vasquez said his family is looking to rebuild the bakery and hopefully give their employee’s their jobs back.

“We are not the biggest victims. The employees are the people who are working under us, who now will not have that income stream. That is really who I really feel for and who my family feels for, it’s the people working for us,” said Vasquez.

The Oklahoma City Fire Department said they are still investigating.

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