A small fire that activated the sprinkler system at Gastonia's famed Loray Mill Sunday night caused $1,000 in damages, firefighters said.
The flames consumed part of the ceiling between the third and fourth floors of the 600,000-square-foot mill. Rainwater that fell on some of the building's wiring sparked the fire, said Gastonia Fire Capt. Mark Jenkins. One firefighting unit remained on scene until early Monday morning to monitor hot spots, he said.
Firefighters requested a second alarm on the fire because of the building's size, even though the fire was small, he added.
The mill, the scene of a deadly mill strike in 1929, is empty. Piedmont Community Charter School and government offices are scheduled to move in at a later date. Audene Scarlett, the school's operations manager, said the fire wouldn't affect their plans because it was so small.
Preservation North Carolina, which owns the building, employs three security people -- two of which walk inside the building late at night and one that watches monitors set up at the gates, said Lucy Penegar, chairwoman of the Gaston County Historic Preservation Commission. The man at the gate called firefighters after seeing smoke, she said.
Atlanta-based Camden Management Partners has said it plans to buy Loray Mill, and will repair the roof and put in new wiring as part of a renovation, said facilities manager Barbara Lawrence.
Distributed by the Associated Press
