A total of 16 fire departments from Caldwell, Catawba, and Burke counties joined forces to battle the fire in downtown Granite Falls late into Friday night.
The heat from the massive inferno was so hot that 12-15 nearby homes had to be evacuated.
Granite Falls Mayor says firefighters from 16 stations have contained blaze at old Shuford Mill @WCCBCharlotte pic.twitter.com/jKjKulfzJN
— courtney francisco (@cjfranciscowccb) July 22, 2017
According to the Hickory Record, “the Granite Falls Fire Department is continuing to contain the fire within the walls — but it is still smoldering. Firefighters are allowing the insides of the building burn itself out because it is too dangerous at this point to enter the warehouse.”
They think it will still burn for at least another week, after which they’ll start the investigation into what started the fire.
The warehouse had a total of 75,729 square feet, which housed several businesses including Smith Thread Sales, Foothills Community Workshop, and several other businesses using their space for storage.
The building was built out of thick timbers, and became soaked in the oil and lubricants of heavy machinery from the building’s 100 year history.