Fall River Firefighters Stretched To Limit With Mill, House Fires Overnight

FALL RIVER (CBS) – Fall River firefighters battled two fires overnight, one a massive fire in a mill building and then another at a home.

The first fire started around 12:20 a.m. Monday at the Stafford Mills complex on County Street. Flames were shooting out the top floor of the five-story building.

The fire chief said there are businesses on every floor and cardboard boxes and clothing were just some of the obstacles for firefighters inside.

"We knocked a lot of it down from the outside with ladder trucks but we also had crews going in, in the interior, so it was a challenge to get those hose lines all the way up to the fifth floor, there's a lot of winding stairwells," Fall River Fire Chief John Lynch told reporters.

"They did a great job and the mutual aid pack worked with other towns coming to help us and they knocked it down and they're going keep on top of it right now until it's completely out," said Mayor Paul Coogan.

One firefighter was taken to the hospital with an ankle injury. The flames re-ignited around 6:30 a.m. and part of the roof collapsed. There's no word yet on how the fire started.

"(We'll) see what we can do to help them get back on their feet, we want businesses back open and we want this area safe for everyone," Coogan said.

Pleasant and County streets will likely to be closed for day for the investigation, so authorities say you should avoid the area if possible.

Just a few minutes after the mill fire broke out, another fire started at a three-family home on Tremont Street and the chief said their resources were stretched to the limit.

Everyone made it out of the house safely and the Red Cross is now helping 12 people who have no place to stay. Investigators believe that fire started in a ceiling fan.