A demolition crew found Steve Preston's comic book and coin collection amid the rubble of the Drake Hotel. (FOX 9)
ROGERS, Minn. (FOX 9) - Early Christmas morning last year, the Francis Drake Hotel, a housing shelter for the homeless in downtown Minneapolis, went up in flames.
“I was angry, trust me I was really angry,” said Steve Preston, who survived the fire.
This browser does not support the Video element.
Drake Hotel Fire survivor reunited with coin and comic book collection recovered from the rubble
Early Christmas morning last year, the Francis Drake Hotel, a housing shelter for the homeless in downtown Minneapolis, went up in flames.
The 66-year-old was among more than 200 people to escape the fire. There was only so much he could save.
“I had coins, books, a cat. The cat won,” said Preston.
All of his belongings, including a coin and comic book collection worth at least $10,000, were eventually buried under a pile of rubble.
“To see 18 years of your life…just boom, you know,” he said.
He counted his losses and months later, demolition crews with Veit and Company made a discovery.
“We were working on the last portion of the building and we just happened to pull a wall back with a bucket and that’s when the comics caught my eye,” said Travis Brown, a demolition worker.
Before them, Preston’s beloved coins and comics were still intact. Tuesday, at Veit headquarters in Rogers, Preston recovered what he thought he’d lost.
“It’s a big part of my life, I suffered for this,” said Preston.
“It’s pretty exciting because it’s a very tragic story of how this happened, so to give anything back is a God-send,” said Brown.
As Preston reflects on a painful chapter in his life, this is a happy ending.
“I’m just so thankful, I don’t know what I could do,” said Preston.