Large fire in Aggieville -Photo Manhattan Fire Dept.
MANHATTAN – Officials are still working to determine the cause of Thursday morning’s fire in Aggieville.
Just before 4a.m. the Manhattan Fire Department was dispatched to 700 N. Manhattan Avenue previously the Dusty Bookshelf, for a report of a structure fire.
Upon arrival, crews found a two-story commercial structure with heavy smoke showing from the east end of the building, according to a media release from the Manhattan Fire Department.
Crews initiated an interior attack but after multiple attempts were unsuccessful at extinguishing the fire. With conditions worsening, the decision was made to transition to a defensive attack fighting the fire from outside the building. The fire reached a second alarm before it was contained within approximately three hours. A total of 30 firefighters responded on 7 fire apparatus with units still on scene at the time of this release.
No injuries have been reported. One cat was rescued from a neighboring business.
The building was a two-story commercial building that was under a building permit, with the name of the new business being Co-op. The building is considered a total loss.
The owner is listed as Sherilyn and Roger Bender of Sunrise Beach, Mo.
There is also smoke damage to Varsity Donuts, 704 N. Manhattan, and Thread, 1224 Moro St. Both businesses are currently closed.
The intersection of North Manhattan and Moro is also closed until further notice.
The fire cause is under investigation at this time. The Manhattan Fire Department, Riley County Police Department, Kansas Office of the State Marshal Fire (OSFM), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) will conducting a joint investigation.
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MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Crews have extinguished a fire that heavily damaged one building and caused smoke damage to two others in the Aggieville bar and shopping district near the Kansas State University campus.
Deputy Manhattan Fire Chief Ryan Almes says the fire was reported around 3:45 a.m. Thursday in a building that had housed a bookstore called the Dusty Bookshelf and was being renovated. Almes says dangerous conditions inside the building forced firefighters to exit the building. He says 30 firefighters then fought the blaze from outside the building before extinguishing it around 8 a.m. No one was hurt.
The fire also caused smoke damage to adjoining businesses that sell doughnuts and T-shirts. A cat was rescued from one of the businesses.
The state fire marshal’s office will help investigate the fire’s cause.