Authorities are investigating the cause of two fires that burned Tuesday night at the abandoned sugar mill on the outskirts of Longmont.
The fires, which sent flames high enough to be seen for miles, were deemed suspicious, according to a news release from the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office.
Fire crews were called at 6 p.m. Tuesday to the sugar mill at the southwest corner of Rogers and Sugar Mill roads. When they arrived, Longmont Fire personnel found an approximately 25-by-50-feet outdoor debris pit to the south of the mill’s storage area engulfed in flames, according to the release.
While battling that fire, crews discovered a second fire burning inside the main building.
“Both fires were extinguished, there were no injuries, and the cause, origin, total burn area and extent of the damage are unknown at this time,” according to the release.
Mountain View Fire, which took over incident command on Tuesday night, is in charge of the investigation, which will continue today, according to the release. Because of “known environmental hazards on the property,” no law enforcement personnel went beyond the gated perimeter, the sheriff’s office stated.
The sugar mill has been the site of two fires in recent history.
A fire broke out in the building early Christmas morning 2017. No one was injured in the blaze, according to the Longmont Times-Call.
In September 2016, a fire burning in the abandoned mill’s second story caused the building to partially collapse, according to Fox31 News.
In addition to the Longmont and Mountain View fire departments, the Longmont Emergency Unit and the sheriff’s office responded to Tuesday night’s fire.
