Flames flare overnight at historic mill


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A fire that destroyed a historic building in northern Utah flared up again overnight. Now all that's left of the Brigham City Co-op Planing Mill in Brigham City is the stone shell and a plaque designating it as a historic place.

Today, investigators are trying to figure out what started the massive fire. That building is the second historical mill to catch fire in less than three months.

Firefighters had to return to Merrill's Planing Mill this morning for about two hours after flames started up again.

The fire first started Monday around 2 a.m. Firefighters say it started in the interior of the building near a back stairway.

The Brigham City Fire Department says right now the cause is undetermined, but that the state fire marshal will be investigating to determine if the fire was intentionally set.

Rick Bosworth of the Brigham City Fire Department says the fire destroyed the building. "We have taken a look at it, the inspectors have gone through, and they are going to determine whether or not they need to take the building down or not. But as you can see, it's a complete and total loss," he said.

Norm Anderson said, "Some of the equipment that's in there, it's irreplaceable." He was using a shop next door to assemble wheeled, hand-powered vehicles as part of a humanitarian service project.

This is the second historical mill to burn this year.

In late August, the Grist Mill was destroyed by fire, as well. The mill was built in 1857 and was the first industrial building constructed in Brigham City. Investigators are still trying to determine what caused that fire. Investigators say there are similarities in the fires at the two buildings.

Both of these buildings were place on the National Registry for Historical Places in 1990.

E-mail: spark@ksl.com
E-mail: mgiauque@ksl.com

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Shara Park and Marc Giauque

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