Authorities have listed a Friday morning fire at Dillons Food Store in Manhattan as accidental.
Welders at the store, at 130 Sarber Lane, caused the fire by accidentally igniting the lining of ductwork.
At 9:27 a.m. on Friday morning, the Manhattan Fire Department was dispatched to Dillons for a report of a structure fire.
Upon arrival, crews found light smoke throughout the building. Crews evacuated the building and found a small fire located in the HVAC ductwork that was extinguished within 20 minutes.
A total of 19 firefighters responded on 6 fire apparatus with the last units clearing at around 10:49 a.m. No injuries were reported and the store was still closed at the time the fire department cleared the scene.
The building is a large single-story grocery store. Loss is estimated at $5000 to the structure with unknown loss to contents. The owner is listed as Kroger Company of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Please contact Deputy Chief Ryan Almes, Manhattan Fire Department, at 785-587-4508 with any questions.