Major fire erupts at former Star of the West mill complex in downtown Kent Friday

Jeff Saunders, Tawney Beans and Mark J. Price, Record-Courier
·5 min read
1

The iconic former mill complex in downtown Kent was engulfed in flames Friday morning, leaving its owner questioning the future of redevelopment plans for the buildings.

The Kent Fire Department responded Friday morning to a major structure fire at the former Star of the West mill complex in downtown Kent, a little north of West Main Street.

Kent Fire Chief Bill Myers said the department got the call at 8:45 a.m. about a fire at the unoccupied building.

About three minutes after firefighters arrived on scene, there was an explosion that compromised the building, he said. As a result, firefighters couldn't safely enter the building, complicating efforts to extinguish the fire with only an external attack.

No injuries had been reported as of early Friday afternoon. The Kent Fire Department and State Fire Marshal are currently investigating the cause of the fire.

The chief said he expected firefighters to remain on scene battling the blaze until early evening. The fire could continue to smolder for a day or two, he said.

The department is contacting a demolition company to help them lower burned and unburned materials down enough to complete the building’s extinguishment.

“It is very challenging," Myers said "We are restricted on our accessibility to the building with the train tracks at the back of the building as well as other buildings to the side.”

The entire block was shut down to traffic. Thirty seven fire departments were called for mutual aid, including Streetsboro and Ravenna, to 162 N. Water St. Southern Portage County's tanker shuttle was on stand by at the scene because firefighters were having an issue with the water supply.

The city of Kent has asked residents to reduce their water usage to essential use only until further notice due to the large fire.

Building owner Manouchehr Salehi, who was at the scene Friday morning, said he had no idea how the fire could have started. He said the building was locked up and no one should have been inside.

Plans have been in the works to turn the structure into a multi-use development, including businesses and apartments, but Salehi said he does not yet know how the fire will impact those plans.

"Let's find out what the damages are," he said. "The structural integrity completely changes everything."

Firefighters blocked off the entire block around the old mill. Throughout the morning, smoke could be seen billowing from the top of the structure.

Firefighters battle a major fire Friday morning at the former Star of the West mill complex on North Water Street in Kent.
Firefighters battle a major fire Friday morning at the former Star of the West mill complex on North Water Street in Kent.

Emma Lasko, a 26-year-old Kent State University student who works nearby at Taco Tonto's, woke up to texts about the fire. She walked to the scene from her apartment on Fairchild Avenue.

"Right when I got down to where the (Cuyahoga River) is, it was hard to breathe because all the smoke is blowing up that way," she said. "...It's blowing up toward where I live, so it's just crazy up there."

Taco Tonto's was providing a free burrito to every firefighter helping battle the Kent fire. "Thank you for everything you do!" the restaurant said in a social media post.

The Townhall II building across North Water Street from the fire was evacuated at 8:55 a.m.

Stephanie Perdue, executive director quality improvements at Townhall II, located across the street from the fire on North Water Street in Kent, was among the people evacuated Friday morning because of the fire.
Stephanie Perdue, executive director quality improvements at Townhall II, located across the street from the fire on North Water Street in Kent, was among the people evacuated Friday morning because of the fire.

Dave Stanek, the director of IT, was making his coffee when Town Hall II was evacuated.

"I first saw it when I was upstairs and I saw smoke coming out of the building," he said. "Then all of a sudden, everybody started running downstairs."

Firefighters from multiple departments battle a large fire Friday morning at a former mill complex on North Water Street in Kent.
Firefighters from multiple departments battle a large fire Friday morning at a former mill complex on North Water Street in Kent.

At least seven fire trucks from numerous departments were on the scene Friday morning battling the blaze.

Hoses were wrapping around the block and firefighters used every available hydrant in the vicinity. Three different streams were attacking the blaze.

What we know about the Star of the West mill complex

The nine-building complex includes four manufacturing spaces (all built in 1882), two office buildings (1900), a retail store (1900) and two storage warehouses (one built in 1882 and one in 1945).

In 1992, the Star of the West Milling Co. of Emmett, Michigan, purchased the complex. Mill operations ceased in 2016.

The exterior of the Star of the West Milling Co. in downtown Kent as seen before Friday's fire. The landmark white grain elevator, constructed in 1936, is 135 feet tall and can hold 200,000 bushels of whole grain. The brown elevator dates to the mill's inception in 1879 and can store 100,000 bushels.
The exterior of the Star of the West Milling Co. in downtown Kent as seen before Friday's fire. The landmark white grain elevator, constructed in 1936, is 135 feet tall and can hold 200,000 bushels of whole grain. The brown elevator dates to the mill's inception in 1879 and can store 100,000 bushels.

The Tulips LLC, represented by Salehi and Badreeyeh Al Hasawi, purchased the old mill for $405,000 in June 2019.

The neighborhood around the complex is known as the Mill District, a mix of coffee shops, art galleries, homes and businesses.

The milling industry used to be so famous that the town’s original name was Franklin Mills.

Kent brothers Charles A. Williams and Scott T. Williams broke ground on the plant in March 1880. It cost $40,000 to build (about $1.2 million today) and was officially known as Peerless Roller Mills, although the locals called it the Williams Brothers Mill.

Kent's Star of the West Milling Co. as seen on North Water Street before Friday's fire. Concrete wheat storage towers have been part of the downtown Kent skyline for decades.
Kent's Star of the West Milling Co. as seen on North Water Street before Friday's fire. Concrete wheat storage towers have been part of the downtown Kent skyline for decades.

Portage County farmers sold their grain to the mill by the wagonload. The plant initially could produce 125 barrels of flour a day, but quickly expanded. In the early 20th century, the complex specialized in cake and pastry flour under such brand names as Perfection, Victor, Celestial Mind, Perfection Cake and Kent Special Cake, according to historian Karl H. Grismer.

The company produced 100 million pounds of flour each year and 35 million pounds of wheat bran byproducts. Its largest commercial customers included Archway Cookie, Pepperidge Farm and the H.J. Heinz Co.

Rootstown firefighters assist with battling the fire Friday morning at the former mill complex on North Water Street in Kent.
Rootstown firefighters assist with battling the fire Friday morning at the former mill complex on North Water Street in Kent.

The company’s famed silos became an iconic feature of the downtown Kent skyline. A grain elevator, built in 1936, houses 140,000 bushels of grain.

Firefighters battle a blaze Friday morning on North Water Street in downtown Kent.
Firefighters battle a blaze Friday morning on North Water Street in downtown Kent.

This breaking story will be updated.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Major fire burning at former Star of the West mill in downtown Kent