Months after Drake Hotel fire, Minneapolis man is reunited with comic book collection worth thousands of dollars

When the Drake Hotel fire happened in Minneapolis on Christmas Day last year, one man thought he lost his comic book collection forever.

On Tuesday, Steve Preston had his collection valued at $10,000 returned to him.

"It's a big part of my life," Preston said. "Kind of an old guy that collects comic books."

During the fire, Preston was able to save his cat but had to leave his collection behind.

"Trust me, I was really angry," Preston said.

The collection was found by the demolition company, Veit, in the rubble of the building.

"I'm deeply, deeply appreciative," Preston said.

Travis Brown, with Veit, found the collection tearing down the building.

"We just happen to pull a wall back with a bucket, that's when the plastic covers of the comics caught my eye," Brown said. "It's very nice to see somebody get it back."

Preston has been collecting comic books for nearly two decades.