UPDATE:

 

The Manhattan Fire Department was dispatched to 700 North Manhattan Avenue at 3:45 a.m. for a structure fire in the building that formerly housed the Dusty Bookshelf.

The Fire Department reported that when crews arrived on scene they found heavy smoke showing from the east end of the two-story commercial building. Crews initiated an interior attack but multiple attempts were unsuccessful at putting out the blaze. 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 in approximately three hours. A total of 30 firefighters responded on seven fire trucks. No injuries were reported.

The building 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, Missouri. There is also smoke damage to Varsity Donuts, 704 North Manhattan, and Thread, 1224 Moro Street. Both businesses are currently closed. The intersection of North Manhattan and Moro is also closed until further notice.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The Manhattan Fire Department, Riley County Police Department, Kansas Office of the State Fire Marshal, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will be conducting a joint investigation.

—–

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.

 —-

MANHATTAN – The Kansas State Fire Marshal’s office is helping investigate the cause of Thursday’s  fire in the Aggieville bar and shopping district near the Kansas State University campus.

The Manhattan Fire Department said in a post early Thursday on its Facebook page that the fire was in a building that had housed a bookstore called the Dusty Bookshelf. The building was vacant and being renovated. .

No information was immediately available about what started the fire.

Riley County police are urging people to avoid the popular area.