Mill tenants have to move on after fire

FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) - Two dozen small businesses at the Fall River mill complex that caught fire last month have had to leave even though the main building was spared from the flames.

The old King Philip mill is being locked up Friday afternoon, for the most part; the city will still allow residents to pick up belongings on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The fire destroyed an attached office building back on Jan. 3. But later, building inspectors found there were no working sprinklers -- or heat -- in the main building. Lighting was largely temporary, and temporary walls put up impeded exits.

The mill was condemned in the weeks following the fire.

The building has had issues for at least four years, according to the Fall River Herald News, when elevators failed and weren't repaired. The city is now trying to track down the owners -- who have unpaid back taxes into the six figures.