In the quiet hours before dawn on June 14, tragedy struck a local family-owned bakery in Del Valle, Texas, when the establishment fell victim to a destructive blaze. Nacho's Bakery, nestled at 105 Maldonado Trail B, was overcome by fire around 3 a.m., as reported by MySA. The fire, which authorities are still to definitely pinpoint the cause, devastated the building but mercifully didn't spread to adjacent businesses. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.
Bastrop County Emergency Services District No. 1 and Travis County Fire Rescue ESD No. 11 were the responding agencies, working together to quickly contain the fire. The community-oriented bakery, celebrated for its pan tradicional de Tejupilco and other offerings, had recently expanded its operations. According to a KVUE article, the owners' daughter, Evelyn Acuña, expressed the loss vividly: "Everything is damaged. There’s nothing we could save." And yet, in the wake of the disaster, the Acuña family vows to quickly try and raise funds, hoping to rebuild the dream that was only just taking shape.
For Ignacio Acuña and Crestena Aguilar, the bakery represented not solely a source of income but a lifelong aspiration brought to life. The flames not only swallowed machinery and baking equipment but also personal effects like clothing and TVs. "This is literally all we have," Evelyn Acuña told KVUE in an interview emphasizing the extent of the calamity that had befallen her family. Despite lacking renter’s insurance, their resilience shines, with intentions to reopen, underpinned by community support and a GoFundMe campaign.
The local community's response to the fire at Nacho's Bakery stands as testament to the bonds forged in shared struggle and mutual support. Amado Paz, a resident and small business owner, articulated this sentiment to KVUE, "We're all family...we need to help each other out as much as we can." Such unity evidences itself in the resolve to uplift the Acuña family, to rebuild not just a bakery, but the very fabric of a community's daily life that has, in these fleeting hours, frayed but not torn asunder.
