Athens fire crews battle large blaze at abandoned mill

ATHENS, Ga. — Firefighters have blocked part of Macon Highway near Puritan Road as a fire continues to burn at an old mill in Athens.
 
Flames could be seen shooting into the air hours after it started.

Athens-Clarke County fire crews and neighbors on Macon Highway could only watch those flames as they consumed a building that residents say has been here since the 1700s.
 
"What's burning is, it used to be a cotton mill years and years ago," said Athens-Clarke County Fire Chief Jeff Scarbrough.
 
"It's pretty crazy because it's been around for so long," said neighbor Chad Herrin.
 
The Mill has been out of service and abandoned for decades.
 
"It's really sad because it was a nice old brick building that you would have hoped that someone at some point could reclaim the structure," neighbor Jim Koen said.
 
Its current condition is part of the reason why firefighters went defensive early on.
 
"Parts of the building collapsed before the fire so it was in bad shape before the fire happened," Scarbrough said.
 
With the fire so deep-seated in the collapsing structure and concerns about potential chemical runoff from pumping water into it, firefighters turned their attention to containment.
 
"It just makes more sense to let it burn off at this point and protect everything around it," Scarbrough said.
 
Investigators will attempt to find the cause of the fire once the flames are out. For now, they can only watch from a distance.
 
"I think it's all right as long as it doesn't spread," Herrin said.
 
Scarbrough said he doesn't believe that will be a problem but does say Macon Highway will be closed into Friday morning as they work the fire.

WSBTV