Fire Hits Empty North Carolina Textile Mill

Firefighters from five North Carolina counties responded to a fire at an abandoned textile plant in Moore County which John Edwards used as a backdrop to announce his first presidential bid in 2003.

WTVD reported that the plant was vacant at the time of the Aug. 17 fire in Robbins. The television station quoted officials as saying the former Milliken plant was equipped with sprinklers, but they apparently didn’t work. Nearly 20 fire departments responded to the blaze, which was reported at 9:56 a.m.

No homes were affected, but an evacuation order was in effect for some homes in a three-block radius around the plant. Officials also asked local residents to conserve water.

In addition to Moore County, firefighters from Lee, Chatham, Montgomery and Randolph counties responded to the fire.

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Information from: WTVD-TV, http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/