"Have no more strength" Residents complain about smoke - Aargauer Beck stops wood-fired oven operation
The traditional wood-fired bread in a bakery in Möhlin AG will soon be history. The smoke from the oven has neighbors up in arms and there are even civil lawsuits.
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- The Aukofer bakery in Möhlin AG can no longer bake its wood-fired bread.
- Local residents have complained about the smoke from the oven.
- Civil lawsuits have even been filed.
The Aukofer bakery in Möhlin AG, known for its traditional wood-fired bread, will cease production of this special bread on August 31. The reason for this is a neighborhood dispute between the bakery and local residents, who have been complaining for years about the smoke coming from the bakery's wood-fired oven and seeping into their homes.
The smoke, which spreads through the neighborhood at night in particular, means that residents regularly have to wash their clothes because they smell of smoke, reports Tele M1. In some cases, the smoke has even penetrated into bedrooms, making it difficult for those affected to breathe and sleep, complains one resident.
"The complaints mainly come from people who live in the wider area," Marc Aukofer, managing director of the bakery, told Tele M1. "We fire up the wood-fired oven every night around midnight so that it's ready to put the bread in by 4 or 5 a.m."
"Have no more power"
The municipality got involved after repeated complaints from local residents and arranged for the emissions to be officially measured. This showed that the emission values were only exceeded in the first five minutes after the oven was fired up, when the smoke is at its strongest.
"It's fine in and of itself," says Aukofer. But the complaints continued to pile up and eventually civil lawsuits were filed against the bakery.
"We have no strength left," admits Aukofer. In view of the persistent complaints and the prospect of protracted legal disputes, the bakery decided to stop operating the wood-fired oven for good. "It's a shame, because bread was a matter close to my father's heart," Aukofer continues.
However, there is a ray of hope for the bakery's loyal customers: From September 1, a new bread will be offered that is baked on firebricks. This bread should taste similar to traditional wood-fired bread and satisfy at least some of the old customers.
