A fire at a historic Delaware mill spread to four alarms Wednesday morning as flames engulfed the sprawling complex.
Firefighters responded to the former Bancroft fabric mill near Riddle Avenue and Mill Road in Wilmington around 2:05 a.m. to find some smoke coming from the complex, said Wilmington firefighters.
Flames and smoke could then be seen shooting into the morning sky.
"There were about five commercial buildings that were fully engulfed in flames," said Wilmington Fire Battalion chief James Jobes.
No one was hurt, said firefighters. [[400522221, C]]
Firefighters continued to battle flames as of 8 a.m., bringing in additional tanker trucks from as far away as Lancaster County, Pennsylvania for a "tanker task force" to help battle the flames, said Jobes.
A firefighter could also be seen assessing the blaze from a Delaware State Police chopper.
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Firefighters said they expect the building to burn for hours. Chief Anthony Goode said crews battled to keep the flames from spreading to nearby properties. [[400522901, C]]
The location of the buildings along the river made it more difficult for firefighters to battle the flames, said Jobes.
Jobes said the buildings date back to the 1920s.
"They were a prosperous business back in the day doing milling of carpet," said Jobes.
All five buildings were vacant at the time of the fire.
Firefighters said to expect road closures in the area through the day.
