A fire destroyed the Perry Heights branch of the Stark County (Ohio) District Library June 9. The blaze was reported by neighbors shortly before 4 a.m., the Massillon Independent reported June 10. More than 54,000 items were lost in the blaze, which caused an estimated $2 million in damage.
As fire officials combed through the ruins of the library, they were initially unable to determine the cause of the fire. “Nothing is obvious at this point,” Perry Township Fire Chief Gary Justice told the Independent. “We still haven’t ruled anything out, but we’re going to do all we can to pinpoint a cause.”
A bookmobile service will be established in the parking lot of the branch, the Canton Repository reported June 10. “The first thing we have to do is make sure it’s safe to have people come there,” said Stark County District Library Assistant Director Marge Baker. “We have the old bookmobile that was replaced, and we’ll fill it with a nice selection of picture books for children to bestsellers, videos, and DVDs and the kind of materials that have been popular in that area.”
Posted June 10, 2002.