A Huddersfield bakery is recovering from tragedy after an employee was killed and another badly injured when an explosion at its factory caused part of the roof to fall, starting a fire. The explosion occurred at Andrew Jones Pies bakehouse in Old Leeds Road on Good Friday, only minutes after the 5am shift had started.

Thirty-seven-year-old baker David Cole was killed instantly and his colleague, 23-year-old Marcus Cartwright, remains in hospital. There were seven employees on-site at the time of the incident.

Representatives from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) have visited the site, though the cause of the explosion has not been confirmed.

It is thought the cause is gas-related and it is not being treated as suspicious. A spokesperson from the HSE said there are currently no findings to report and the investigation is ongoing.

A special meeting between the employees took place yesterday to decide what will happen with the business going forward.

The firm’s two shops in Marsh and Brighouse have been closed since the incident. However, it has been reported on the BBC Bradford & West Yorkshire website that the firm hopes to use a disused factory in Brighouse in order to start production by the end of the week.

A message on its website reads: “Due to unforseen circumstances, the pie factory and our shops will remain closed until further notice. Sorry for any inconvenience.”

The bakery supplies butchers, farm shops, sandwich shops and other retailers.