LEXINGTON, N.C. — Fire crews are watching for hotspots at the abandoned old mill in Lexington.
They are continuing to hose down any spots still smoldering, but say the fire is fully contained.
This will help them start their investigation sooner, because it can't start until the fire is completely extinguished. They don't know the cause of the fire yet.
Davidson County 911 Communications said multiple firefighters were working for several hours to put out a fire at the old, abandoned mill.
The mill was located on Elk Street near East 5th Avenue caught fire on Tuesday. The building was set to be demolished soon, according to the fire chief.
Walls have collapsed in, and ash has filled the air surrounding the old mill.
"It was determined that the fire was deep inside the building. The building is in disrepair, and scheduled for demolition, so it wasn’t safe for firefighters to enter. There are holes in the floors, floors are weak with low visibility. It just wasn’t something that was worth the risk so we couldn’t put firefighters in there," said Lexington Fire Chief, Paul Jarrett.
For that reason, crews are having to fight this fire from outside.
People who have lived in this area for years, came out to see what was happening Tuesday.
One resident told WFMY this was devastating. She said this was the livelihood for so many people years ago.
"It's sad. It's history and growing up right on the other side of these tracks, and hearing every day, every morning the whistle blowing for people to come to work, it still resonates, and so that's a part of our history that's now gone," Sherraine Lockhart-McLean said.
Four different agencies including: Lexington Fire, Davidson County Fire Marshals Office, Thomasville Fire, and Miller’s Ferry Fire all assisted in the fight.
MORE WAYS TO GET WFMY NEWS 2
Subscribe to our daily newsletter Let’s Get 2 It!
Download the WFMY News 2 APP from your Apple or Google Play store.
ADD THE WFMY+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for WFMY.
Amazon Fire TV: Search for WFMY to find the free app to add to your account. You can also add the app directly to your Fire TV through your Amazon account.