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Great Harvest ransacked in burglary The owners of Great Harvest Bread Company in Medford posted this photo on Facebook of damage done Thursday by burglars to a safe and office wall. Friday Jan 26, 2018 at 11:31 AM Jan 26, 2018 at 3:08 PM Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune @RyanPfeil Burglars smashed out a window at a Medford bakery, stole about $1,500 from a safe they broke open with tools, and caused thousands of dollars in damage. "They just mangled the safe. They had really heavy tools," said Lisa Allen, owner of Great Harvest Bread Co. on Genessee Street. "They ransacked the bakery." Great Harvest's sweets baker discovered the burglary at 3:30 a.m. Thursday when she arrived at work. "She noticed something wrong, and she was afraid (the burglars) were still here," Allen said. The employee retreated outside and called 911. Police said the suspects broke out two wooden panels from a fence behind the bakery, then smashed out a window with a cement block. They then ransacked the bakery, pulling drawers out of an office desk and till, stealing cash and dumping property on the ground. The safe, which is bolted to the ground, was plundered. At first, employees thought the burglars hadn't been able to make access but then discovered most of the cash was missing. What was left behind was stuck to the bottom in some standing water. "They actually poured water in the safe," Allen said, adding she's not certain why, though the burglars may have started a fire during their attempts to crack the safe. "There was water all over." There was also damage to the wall behind the safe where the suspects tried to detach it, police said. Between the broken window, maimed safe, stolen cash and other damage, Allen estimates thousands of dollars were lost. The financial blow comes right after the owners found out they had to replace the plumbing in their building. "We are sinking fast with deductibles, loss of business, and our poor employees if we have to keep closing to fix all the plumbing problems," a post on the business' Facebook page said. Anyone with information about the burglary is asked to call Medford police at 541-770-4784. — Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected]. Follow him at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil.