'History...up in smoke': Future of Kent mill complex remains uncertain after massive fire
State and local authorities still are trying to determine the cause of the massive fire last week that engulfed Kent's iconic former Star of the West mill complex.
The area remained cordoned off Monday as fire crews were still on scene.
Orange traffic cones and yellow caution tape surrounded the front of the building, forming a wedge in the middle of North Water Street, bisecting the road and diverting traffic. A gaping hole in the brick façade could be seen from Columbus Street. The mill's broken windows looked like shattered teeth.
More:Major fire erupts at former Star of the West mill complex in downtown Kent Friday
The full extent of the damage is still being determined.
City Manager Dave Ruller said Fire Chief William Myers told him that forensic teams with the city and the State Fire Marshal's office have been looking into the cause since the fire started Friday.
Myers was unavailable Monday for comment.
More:Firefighters work into second day to quell blaze at historic mill in heart of Kent
The fire was so large, Ruller said, that the crews fighting the blaze nearly exhausted the city's supply of water stored in its water towers. As a result, city officials asked residents to confine their water usage to the bare necessity. Kent was able to continue battling the fire by using water from a neighboring community.
"We have emergency mutual aid, basically, with Ravenna and Akron," Ruller said. "So we opened the Ravenna supply valve."
He said Ravenna provided a little less than 1 million gallons to keep Kent's system operational.
In 2019, The Tulips LLC spent $405,000 to acquire building. Recently, plans were in motion to turn the old mill into a multi-use development — a mix of businesses and apartments. As of Monday afternoon, representatives had not returned calls seeking comment about the future of those redevelopment plans.
"Losing an iconic building that's kind of a part of Kent's history — the mill, it's a mill town — it really was a very sad day," Ruller said. "It was just hard for people to see a part of that history and community literally go up in smoke."
Contact reporter Derek Kreider at DKreider@Gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Kent mill fire still under investigation. Fate of complex unclear
