UPDATED: Thursday, 5:16 p.m.
Fire investigators have ruled a massive blaze that engulfed The Dusty Bookshelf during the early morning hours Thursday in Manhattan’s Aggieville business district accidental.
Self-heating of floor finishing materials was blamed for the fire in an investigation conducted by the Manhattan Fire Department, Riley County Police Department, Kansas Office of the State Fire Marshal and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Investigators said the total loss for the building, including surrounding structures, is estimated to be $822,000.
The Dusty Bookshelf building accounts for $550,000 of that total, along with $123,000 for the contents. The damage estimate for Varsity Donuts is listed as $10,000 to the structure and $75,000 for the contents, and Thread is listed as $4,000 for structure and $60,000 to the contents.
At 3:45 a.m., the Manhattan Fire Department was dispatched to 700 North Manhattan Avenue for a report of a structure fire. Upon arrival, crews found heavy smoke showing from the east end of the building. Firefighters first attacked the blaze from inside the building, but moved out after conditions worsened.
“We pulled our fire crews out of the building and within just a short time — maybe five minutes after having them out, the roof did collapse,” MFD Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Almes said at the scene Thursday morning.
The fire reached a second alarm before it was contained within approximately three hours. A total of 30 firefighters responded on several fire trucks. No injuries have been reported. One cat was rescued from a neighboring business. A popular fixture of The Dusty Bookshelf, a cat named Oliver, was not in the building at the time of the blaze, according to the business’ Facebook page.
MFD says the building was under a building permit for renovations. The building is considered a total loss. The owner is listed as Sherilyn and Roger Bende of Sunrise Beach, Mo. There is also smoke damage to Varsity Donuts, which shares an east wall with the building, and similar damage has also been detected to Thread, which is separated from the building by an alley way on its west side.
“It was very devastating this morning,” Aggieville Business Association Executive Director Linda Mays told KMAN. “That’s a pillar here in Aggieville. Very sad to lose part of our history.”
Annie Spence, a self-described “townie” and an employee of Bluestem Bistro across the street on Moro, heard about the fire early Thursday morning and went to Aggieville to check on coworkers and friends who work at Varsity Donuts. She said it was a somber way to start her day.
“Growing up and going into The Dusty Bookshelf and petting the cats and being an avid reader, that’s been a hangout spot for most of my life,” Spence said. “It was exciting to see they were remodeling, so this makes me sad to see something like that go out in that way.”
