Massive 7-Alarm Mill Blaze Is Suspicious

The building caught fire around 5 p.m. Sunday. Smoke could be seen 20 miles away by air

Firefighters continue to battle a 7-alarm blaze at a 130,000-square-foot historic mill in Haverhill, Massachusetts, Monday morning and the fire chief says the fire "is suspicious."

Fire Chief Jack Parow said Monday night that firefighters were still putting out hotspots and that investigators wouldn't be able to get inside until Tuesday the earliest.

"You could see the flames on the roof coming up and wrapping around," said resident Tyler Pelkey.

He shot video on his cell phone as the roof of the five-story building came crashing down.

Officials say the Stevens Street building along the Little River was vacant for years, and with no electricity running in or out, they're considering the fire suspicious.

"Until we figure out exactly where it started and what started it everything is wide open, it could be accidental, it could be arson," Chief Parow said.

John Buzzell, a longtime Haverhill resident, says it was heartbreaking to see the old shoe factory on fire.

"It's beautiful, you don't see buildings like that anymore," he said.

Buzzell and The Pentucket Players rehearsed in the building for ten years.

"We had a lot of memories, our theater company was born in that space," he said.

Buzzell says after a flood in 2008, the building was shut down and all the businesses forced out.

He had hoped the city would do something with the factory.

It turns out, Mayor James Fiorentini had some plans.

"We have a developer coming in, scheduled to come in tomorrow to develop that whole string of buildings including the one that went up in smoke," Mayor Fiorentini said Monday.

The mayor says the project would've turned the historic factory into luxury condos, but now the Fire Chief says what's left of it will have to be torn down.

"It's more disappointment," Buzzell said.

The mayor says he's still hoping to meet with the developer to discuss opportunities for the other buildings in the area.

Fire Chief Parow says investigators will have to wait at least until Tuesday to get in and determine if this was arson.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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