A fire destroyed the Big Brothers Big Sisters building Tuesday morning.
The Manhattan Fire Department responded to the fire at 519 Pierre St., a house that serves as the organization’s offices, shortly after 8:15 a.m. Flames and heavy smoke were coming out many windows of the building when officials arrived.
Deputy fire chief Ryan Almes said no one was in the building at the time of the fire, and there were no injuries. He did not yet have information on how the fire started.
Michelle Sink, the area director of Big Brothers Big Sisters, told The Mercury the fire caused a total loss of the building. She said the organization’s members are thankful for the outpouring of community support they’ve received and stressed the importance of the continuance of their work.
“Our mission is not a building,” Sink said. “Our mission is helping kids, and so we’re going to continue to do that. We won’t have any lapse in our program.”
President and CEO of Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters Mary Shannon said in a social media post that all staff members are safe, but the office appears destroyed. Shannon said they will need an immediate temporary space to continue their work.
Staff photo by Lewis Marien
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