Witnesses still had to be interviewed and debris from the fire scene had to be sent to the state forensics laboratory at the University of Rhode Island for tests, Deputy State Fire Marshal Kevin Murphy told The Providence Journal Thursday.
The mill fire, the second in less than a year in the city, started on the second floor of the Bleachery and Dye building, one of six buildings in the 103-year-old mill complex at 250 Esten Ave., that was once home to Hope Webbing and School House Candy.
The fire broke out as the complex, which has been in receivership, was being sold to a group of investors based in southern New Jersey and Philadelphia, Pa.
The four-alarm blaze caused a section of the structure to collapse. No injuries were reported, and no one was told to evacuate, according to state Fire Marshal Irving Owens, though some in nearby businesses left.
Fire Chief Timothy McLaughlin said the blaze began in the rear of the building shortly before 10:30 a.m. The fire initially was so intense that firefighters were told to pull back and take a defensive position, he said.
Firefighters contained the blaze to the rear section of the building, which is separated by a parking lot from heavily trafficked Interstate 95, according to McLaughlin.
Every on-duty Pawtucket firefighter was called in to fight the blaze and Central Falls and North Providence sent personnel and equipment to assist. It took more than three and half hours to get the fire under control.
Detective Gary Grenier said the vacant building that caught fire was being used for storage. He said used mattresses on the premises, along with a large amount of combustible material, fed the flames.
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