Photo by Jesse Evans (More photos below)
The Hope Fire Department put out two fires at the Bruner Ivory Handle Mill Tuesday morning. The call came in just before 9 a.m. of smoke coming from the roof of a large warehouse. The source of the smoke was a fire in an office in the middle of the building. The fire was quickly extinguished before it could spread.
When the firefighters came outside the building they noticed smoke coming from another building located behind the mill’s office at East Avenue D and North Laurel. There they put out another fire in a room where people had been sleeping.
It’s not known if the fires were the result of people trying to stay warm or arson. Hope Police questioned an individual on the scene.
The handle mill property has been the scene of two much larger fires in the past. The most recent fire on September 25, 2012, destroyed a large building at the complex.
