Watch CBS News

Fire Tears Through Vacant Building In Wilmington

WILMINGTON, Del. (CBS) -- Firefighters spent much of the night battling a fire in an old building in Wilmington, Delaware.

Crews were called to the scene along the 100 block of Bancroft Mills Road around 1:30 a.m. Saturday and found heavy flames shooting from an abandoned, three story, wooden building within the vacant Bancroft Mills complex.

It took only several minutes for the fire to reach two alarms.

The building was vacant but rich with history.

Compromised in the fire, was the historic site for which the road is named, the Bancroft Mill, built in 1787. It housed a carpentry and maintenance shop, which manufactured textiles from the 1830s through the turn of the 21st century.

The fire caused multiple collapses of the building.

There are town homes that backup within 50 feet of the mill but none were damaged by the fire.

There were no injuries reported.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.