Charges of arson in Sanford mill fire
Arson is suspected in Friday’s fire at the former Goodall textile mill in Sanford, with the Portland Press Herald reporting today that three boys have been charged with arson.
The newspaper reported that two homeless men — who apparently stayed in the building and were initially reported as not accounted for — were found safe in Portland this morning.
The Biddeford Journal Tribune reported that over the years the mill, which dates to 1922, housed Seamloc Carpet and a number of smaller businesses, but was vacant most of the last decade. City documents listed the owner as Gateway Properties LLC, a company owned by Jonathan Morse of Reno, Nev., the newspaper reported.
It was sold in a 2009 auction for $210,000 but the prospective buyers never closed, according to the Journal Tribune.
The tower that burned had deteriorated to the point where rehabilitation was considered impractical. The mill was subject of cleanup actions by the federal Environmental Protection Agency in the late 2000s, and the city had applied for funding to assess further hazards.
The Portland Press Herald also reported today that fire investigators were unable to begin their probe into the cause of the blaze due to lingering hot spots that continued to flare up over the weekend.
A spokesman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Boston told the newspaper that special agents from the ATF’s Portland office have been assisting the State Fire Marshal’s Office with its investigation.
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