Photos/Story by Tim Delaney
At 1:30 am Monday Feb 26 Manville, RI fire department was dispatched an engine to 315 Old River Rd on a box alarm.
Upon arrival Engine 1 was faced with the rear of a vacant mill complex fully involved.
With the fire spreading rapidly across the complex, extra alarms were rapidly struck bringing a total of 14 departments to the scene as well as numerous more for station coverage.
Firefighters were hampered by access problems due to the fact that all the buildings were connected in one way or another,giving the fire a huge head start that proved unmatchable.
The fire eventually consumed most of the complex, including a two story house that was used as an office.
The mill had been vacant for some time, and fire investigators still are unable to determine what caused this massive fire.
Companies stayed on the scene for more than 20 hours extinguishing flare ups, and putting out hot spots.
A few firefighters recieved minor injuries while battling the blaze.
