Fabrics building burns; most of historic plant collapses as day breaks

By 4:30 a.m. the entire southern half of the massive home for 73 years of Dyersburg Cotton and later, Dyersburg Fabrics, was burning. [Click to enlarge]

A fire believed to have started near the historic central core of the defunct Dyersburg Fabrics plant at about 10:15 p.m. Sunday destroyed most of the building as it collapsed after dawn today.

The fire, reported by passing motorists who saw smoke coming from the south office space, started in the building's massive three-story interior. Dyersburg Fire Chief Bob Veal said his crews had made several attempts to enter the cavernous building to attack the source.

"We've tried four times to make an interior run at it," said Veal at 3:30 a.m. "But we've been unable to do that."

The department's two largest ladder trucks were then used to assault the blaze with water pumping to the vehicles from two six-inch lines from water hydrants at the corners of Phillips Street and Victory Avenue on the south and Harrell Avenue and Tibbs Street to the north.

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