Splitstone Entertainment — a store selling everything from books, to comics, to video games and used iPods — was ravaged by fire during business hours Tuesday.

Owner Bill Splitstone said the fire started in a 5-foot wide bathroom. He used a fire extinguisher to try beating the flames back.

“I thought I had it put out a couple of times with the fire extinguisher, but it just kept coming back,” he said.

“I emptied a whole fire extinguisher on it. Then I went to get the other one, but when I got back the cop was there.”

By the time he returned, the fire had spread into the ceiling and the policeman warned him to stay back.

“The fumes were so bad, I just dropped (the fire extinguisher) and ran.”

Hermitage Volunteer Fire Department arrived very quickly, Splitstone said. They were called in around 4:20 p.m. and by 6 p.m. had the fire under control, craning over top the smoldering building, spraying water down into the blackened remains of the once-thriving business.

About five customers and a friend were in the building when the fire began but no one was injured, Splitstone said.

The family-operated business sold a broad range of merchandise, including new car audio equipment, but also a lot of second-hand merchandise.

Some of the second-hand stuff will be difficult to replace, Splitstone said — such as classic video games like those from the Final Fantasy or Mario series. “Things you’ll see, but rare,” he said.

The building is insured, he said, and he plans to rebuild. “It’ll be rough for a while now,” he said. Especially hard will be the fact that September through Christmas is his busy season.

Splitstone Entertainment was at its 6880 E. State St. location for about 1 èyears, Splitstone said. It has been in Hermitage for 6 è years.

“I should be back in one way or another,” Splitstone said. “So keep the phone number.”

Besides Hermitage, Patagonia and Sharpsville Volunteer Fire departments also responded.