SALISBURY, NC (WBTV) -
Investigators say the cause of the fire that destroyed the historic Grimes Mill in Salisbury will remain undetermined.
Late Wednesday afternoon, officials sent a release with the following statement:
Salisbury Fire and Police investigators, along with investigators from the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) have agreed that due to the extent of fire damage resulting from the January 16 fire at Grimes Mill, the cause of the fire is undetermined.
Flames burst out of the building at about 9:44 p.m. on January 16. When firefighters arrived, the building was already engulfed in flames.
Witnesses told WBTV the flames were leaping 8 to 100 feet in the air and could be seen for miles.
Fire companies from Salisbury and volunteer departments from across Rowan County, as well as the Rowan Rescue Squad, responded to the fire that night.
The building and equipment inside were a total loss.
Wednesday night Ed Clement, Ed Norvell, and members of the Historic Salisbury Foundation watched the building go up in an orange glow of smoke and flames.
"It's a horrible thing to see," Norvell told WBTV. "It's heartbreaking."
Several streets over neighbors gathered on sidewalks and porches to watch the mill burn. One young man told WBTV that he was scared when he first saw the fire, and described it as a "massive blaze."
In its day the Grimes Mill was an important roller mill that produced flour, meal, and feed. It was operated by the Grimes family from 1906-1963, and purchased in 1983 by Historic Salisbury Foundation.
The building was filled with historic mechanical equipment used in the 19th and 20th centuries.
In recent years the mill had been turned into a museum that attracted visitors from across the state. The month before it burned, the mill served as the backdrop for Fezziwigg's Counting House in a production of a Scrooge Trolley Tour.
Copyright 2013 WBTV. All rights reserved.
