New York, Jul 7 (AP) An Asian American-owned bookstore in Manhattan's Chinatown left gutted by a Fourth of July fire is getting flooded with support from the community, writers and celebrities.

Yu & Me Books surpassed its GoFundMe page goal of USD 150,000 and had generated over USD 250,000 as of Friday morning. “Shang-Chi” star Simu Liu and authors Celeste Ng and Min Jin Lee were among the donors.

Also Read | Lebanon Mosque Shooting: At Least One Dead, Five Injured After Firing Inside Mosque in Bar Elias Town, Says Security Official.

The blaze started in a residential unit above the store on Tuesday, store owner Lucy Yu wrote on social media. The cause has not yet been determined.

The fire caused massive smoke and water damage to inventory, furniture and the building itself. The store will be closed indefinitely as repairs and renovations are likely to take a year, according to Yu.

Also Read | India: Lung Disease Turns Budhpura into ‘village of Widows’.

Donations will go toward replacing equipment, paying staff, new furniture and other needs.

Described as New York City's first female-owned Asian American bookstore, Yu & Me Books opened in December 2021. Yu wanted to have a place that showcased stories by immigrants and people of colour.

It became a haven as anti-Asian hate crimes brought on by the coronavirus pandemic rose. The store regularly hosted author readings, open mic nights and other events. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)