Councillor calls for action after mill fire

10:56pm Sunday 2nd March 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

A COUNCILLOR has called for a disused mill to be made more secure after it was targeted by vandals for the third time in 12 months.

Between 25 and 30 firefighters spent hours battling a blaze in the derelict mill, in Albert Street, Whitworth, which is believed to have been started deliberately.

Four pumps from Bacup, Rawtenstall, and Rochdale fought the fire, which started at 12.30pm on Saturday, along with a mobile fire station from Blackburn.

Fire crews found smoke billowing out of the eaves of the mill after being alerted by a member of the public.

They managed to bring the fire under control within an hour but small seats of fire continued in the mill, which consists of a one storey warehouse and a two storey building, until 8pm.

Healey and Whitworth ward councillor Alan Neal said the third fire in 12 months indicated the current security measures were insufficient.

He said: "The owners of that building need to make it more secure considering it is so close to people's homes.

"It is boarded up but the boarding is very flimsy.

"To leave it as it is is dangerous and something needs to be done."

With no electricity points in the derelict mill firefighters said they suspected the fire was started deliberately.

Fire services have yet to establish the extent of the damage to the disused mill.

A spokesman for the fire service said: "The structure of the building is quite badly effected.

"We suspect the fire was deliberately started.

"There was no electricity and it was unoccupied so there was no legitimate cause.

"There were several seats.

"There was smoke billowing out of the eaves of the building and because the incident was escalating the breathing apparatus teams were withdrawn as soon as we established there was no risk to life.

"The building will need to be inspected to establish how safe it is."

Market Street was closed until 8.30pm to allow fire services access to water.