YORK, S.C. --
The Lockmore Mill continued to smolder Friday morning in York. The building caught fire at about 7 p.m. Thursday, and firefighters said it's a total loss.
The mill had been vacant for several years, but was under renovation when the fire started. It is on Hunter Street east of downtown York.
The fire covered 25,000 square feet of the mill when firefighters responded. It took hours to contain, but as of Friday morning, the blaze still wasn't completely out.
Firefighters said they will contain the fire, but not try to extinguish it. They want to save water during drought conditions in York County.
"York County is under drought restrictions, so we're trying to be cognitive of that. There's no need to pour 5 million gallons of water on this thing when we're not saving anything. So we're just going to keep it from spreading, make sure we don't have any grass fires get out of control. Let it burn," said York Fire Chief Domenic Manera.
The State Law Enforcement Division, or SLED, are expected to arrive at the mill Friday morning. Official will have to wait for the building to cool before starting their investigation.
York Mayor Eddie Lee said the city lost a piece of its history Thursday night. The Lockmore Mill building was built in the early 1900s and being converted into apartments for senior citizens. It was part of a $10 million project. No one was hurt in the fire.
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