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

Monday, July 23, 2007

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.
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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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I Grew up all my life in Mill town,I remember the the loud horn that blew there at 3:00p.m every afternoon.My parents also worked there..My dad was a forman there...It really took alot of memories from me when I saw that this happin,I seen frds of mine pictures of this from there cell phones & videos & I could not believe this!!..I passed by one afternoon in front of Dyersburg Fabrics just a stareing away as I drove by slowly, I came down towards mini mart at a 4 way stop section, as I stopped to wait my turn to to go,There was an old man parked at mini mart sittin on his bed of his truck crying & stareing at the factory..I guesse that was his memorory too..

-- Posted by Rockzie on Mon, Oct 26, 2009, at 10:02 PM