A fire Tuesday morning at Browse Awhile Books in historic downtown Tipp City, Ohio, caused significant damage and briefly hospitalized a firefighter and two tenants living in the building's apartment, WHIO reported. Bill Jones, owner of the used and rare bookshop, estimated that more than $1 million in inventory was lost in the fire, while fire chief Steve Kessler said his initial damage estimates include $400,000 to the building and $200,000 to the contents, but "could change based on what can be salvaged."
Jones, who has owned the store since 1990, said some books can be salvaged, but valuable titles were lost. Although he has insurance, he noted: "This is a historic district, so it has to come out looking exactly the same. But all of that is in the future. I'm still in a little bit of shock."
The Downtown Tipp City Partnership has started a GoFundMe page for relief efforts to all affected by the fire. Director Heather Dorsten noted: "We are sad not only because of the economic development hit downtown. When it comes to the historical architecture of the building, we are all devastated for the loss."
"It's heart-warming and touching," Jones said of the community's response. "I've got more hugs (Tuesday) than I've gotten in the last six months. That's Tipp City. It's a close-knit town. Everybody cares about everybody else. We're going to dig out the best we can and see where we go from there."