A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for a fire that took place at Mount Vernon Mills in Trion, Georgia, in October and took first responders more than a day to extinguish.
Trion Fire Chief Justin Lowe said 100 firefighters from 19 different agencies across Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama spent 27 hours working to put out the blaze on Oct. 30. The business is Trion's largest employer at more than 500 employees. As an investigation into what may have caused the fire continues, Lowe said it is vital for anyone with any possible leads to share them.
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"Anybody with any information, we want that information. No matter how big or small you think it is, it is not a waste of time for us to check anything out," Lowe told the Times Free Press. "We are taking this very seriously and plan to investigate every lead we get. Every single one."
The fire at Mount Vernon Mills started for unknown reasons shortly after 7 a.m. on Oct. 30.
While no one was injured, the fire still was serious because of a lack of visibility and the sheer size of the building itself, Lowe said. The building was four stories tall and there was "absolutely no" visibility on the first two floors. The third was a little better with somewhat limited visibility, and the fourth floor was even clearer, though still "intense."
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"We were only able to put that out and keep the damage as minimal as we were with the help of the good Lord," Lowe said. "No man could have put that out alone."
In a statement sent to customers and suppliers in the days just after the fire in October, Mount Vernon Mills said the damage to the building and weaving equipment inside it was minor. No damage was reported in the mill's dyeing and finishing operations areas. Instead, the statement reported that the damage was mostly contained to areas no longer used by employees.
"Thanks for your understanding as we work through this unforeseen event," the company said in the release. "Please feel free to reach out to your regular contact for questions concerning deliveries, etc."
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The $10,000 reward is being offered by Georgia Arson Control. Those with information about the fire can call 706-591-9637, 706-734-4917 or 1-800-282-5804.
Contact Kelcey Caulder at kcaulder@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327. Follow her on Twitter @kelceycaulder.