Home Care In Graham, NC

For a second day, Alamance County fire crews responded to the Carolina Mill along Haw River, as hotspots from the prior day flared back up. A blaze on Nov. 25 destroyed the historic structure located at 2058 Carolina Mill Road. Vehicle traffic on both Carolina Mill Road and Carolina Road was impacted.

The Carolina Mill incident follows the Culp Weaving Plant fire in Graham as the second mill in Alamance County to catch fire this month. The Carolina Mill was a former cotton mill which was built in 1869.

A caller reported a fire inside the Carolina Mill at roughly 4:03 a.m. on Nov. 25, and the mill was fully engulfed in flames by the time fire crews were on scene — according to Chief Jimmy Westbrook from the Faucette Township Volunteer Fire Department.

Twelve fire departments from across Alamance County, including those from Graham and Burlington, responded to assist crews from the Faucette Township Volunteer Fire Department. Westbrook said at the height of the response, around 75 people were on scene.

“It was all a defensive attack … we couldn't get close to the building because of the unstable building, so we just fought the fire from the air,” Westbrook said.

The size of the fire and severity of structural instability required firefighters to utilize aerial ladder trucks to fight the fire, as opposed to entering the building.

Westbrook said fire crews still have concerns around the structural stability of the building, as a temporary fence has been put around it. Westbrook estimated that around one million gallons of water have been used on the building to put the fire out. The blaze reduced the structure to a shell, with mainly only the outer walls remaining.

According to Westbrook, while the main part of the fire was extinguished on Nov. 25, some rekindling of hot spots within the building required fire crews to respond again to put out remaining flames on Nov. 26.

“We had a whole lot of leftover heavy timber inside the structure,” Westbrook said. “I’m real tired, I hate to come back today but it rekindled and we had open flames — we had to do something.”

The Alamance County Fire Marshall is still investigating the cause of the Carolina Mill fire.

GRAHAM, N.C. —

A Graham man who had outstanding felony warrants has been arrested, according to the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office.

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On Wednesday, the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office Street Crimes Unit assisted the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) with the arrest of Jeremy Townsend, 29. During the operation, Townsend attempted to flee in a vehicle and collided with two DEA vehicles, injuring three DEA agents.

Investigators with the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office took Townsend into custody without further incident. Investigators also obtained a search warrant for Townsend’s residence. During the search, marijuana, suspected fentanyl, and paraphernalia were discovered. Investigators said they also found a concealed stolen firearm in his vehicle.

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Townsend was charged with one count of felony assault with a deadly weapon on a government official, one count of felony assault inflicting serious injury on law enforcement, one count of felony possession of a stolen firearm, and one count of a misdemeanor possession with intent to manufacture, sell, and distribute marijuana.

Additional charges against Townsend include one count of felony possession of schedule II-controlled substance, one count of misdemeanor carrying a concealed weapon, one count of misdemeanor possession of marijuana paraphernalia, and two counts of misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

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Townsend was taken into custody at the Alamance County Detention Center, and his secured bond was set at $350,000.

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ALAMANCE COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — A man and three teenagers face charges after two fires, including one that destroyed a historic mill in Alamance County.

Wayland Heaths Phillips, 22, of Graham, was arrested in connection with a fire at the former Culp Weaving textile plant in Graham as well as a home in Green Level. A 13-year-old, 14-year-old and 15-year-old have also been arrested.

Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson says Phillips has admitted to the fires in Graham and Green Level.

Fire in Graham

For the second time in just over a year, the former Culp Weaving mill building in Graham caught fire on Nov. 12, destroying huge parts of the building. The building, located on the 300 block of East Parker Street, had been partially empty but also used for storage.

The building, which sits just hundreds of feet from homes, previously caught fire on Oct. 11, 2022. Graham Fire Department received the call around 9:15 p.m. from someone who lived near East Parker Street and said they thought heard an explosion.

Graham Mayor Jennifer Talley said the city has attempted to make the current property owners address safety concerns at the building since the previous fire at the property.

Fire in Green Level

The following day, deputies were still investigating the fire in Graham on Nov. 13 when the Alamance Sheriff’s Office says they learned of a “similar” fire.

At about 12:09 a.m., deputies responded to a fire at a home on the 900 block of Apple Blossom Lane in Green Level. The Green Level property, which was vacant at the time, shows significant fire damage.

Fire in Hopedale

The Alamance County sheriff says a fire at the former Carolina Hosiery Mill in Hopedale on Nov. 25 is still under investigation.

“We have yet to identify specifically any individual involved in the Carolina Mills fire in Hopedale, North Carolina,” Johnson said during a news conference about the fires on Tuesday. “That investigation is still active. Personally, in my mind, there is no doubt that that fire was set due to the fact that there is no electricity to that particular building and no lightning flashing that night.”

The sheriff said it was this fire that “really made us think that we have an arsonist.”

At about 4 a.m. on Nov. 25, the Alamance County Fire Marshall said that a working fire at the mill, which was vacant and had been vacant for years, was reported. 12 fire departments as well as several other Alamance County agencies, including the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office, and the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

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Deputies say the 30,000-square-foot building was old and had oil on the floor that helped the fire get extremely hot. Several floors of the building collapsed, leaving the structure “totally destroyed,” according to the fire marshall.

The fire marshall says that it will be weeks before investigators will be able to enter the destroyed building and conduct a proper investigation. The delay is due to hot spots and structural concerns for safety.

The ACSO’s CSI team took photos of the scene that will be used if investigative responsibility is handed to them. However, the Alamance County Fire Marshall is currently handling the investigation.

Arrests

Phillips has been charged with two counts each of felony burning certain buildings and felony breaking and entering, one each for the Green Level fire and the Graham fire.

The three teenagers are each charged with felony burning certain buildings in connection with the Green Level fire. A charge of breaking and entering against each teenager is pending.

“We were very, very lucky,” Talley said. “These were extremely dangerous fires. The risk not only to the general public but also our first responders is very concerning. It is very concerning that our young people look to be responsible for this, and posting things on social media bragging about this kind of behavior is something that we just don’t need in our community.”

The sheriff says investigators are still looking into the Hopedale fire. Johnson said the sheriff’s office is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individuals involved in that fire.

Investigators will also be working to see if any of these suspects could be connected with any other fires in the area. Johnson said the sheriff’s office received a tip alleging that Phillips may have been involved in a fire that burned about two acres of property 12 years ago.

The former Culp Weaving Mill continues to burn after fire crews from across central North Carolina — including Alamance, Guilford and Orange Counties — responded to a fire at 300 E. Parker St. in Graham overnight Nov. 12.

According to Graham Fire Chief Tommy Cole, the fire department was called to the former Culp Weaving Mill around 7:55 p.m. Nov. 12. Cole said crews battled to contain the blaze throughout the night, with the worst of the event occurring around midnight when a fire wall failed within the structure. Cole said he believes roughly 50 to 100 firefighters were on scene at any given time.

Homes along Parker Street were evacuated to protect residents due to a risk of collapse on the building. According to Cole, the fire department also contacted Duke Energy to cut power during the response. The Graham Recreation Center on College Street served as a temporary shelter for those affected in the community, according to Graham Mayor Jennifer Talley.

The fire was contained to the structure by around 3 to 4 a.m. in the morning on Nov. 13. Cole said most of the fire was out by 8 a.m., with hotspots remaining.

As of Nov. 14, isolated small hotspots continued to burn inside the structure, as smoke continued to rise from the structure into local neighborhoods around the site.

“So everything's burning underneath it. So it's a matter of just it's gonna have to burn itself out or we continue to put water on it,” Cole said. “It's going to smoke and smolder probably for the next two or three days at least.”

The source of the fire has not yet been identified according to Beau Russell, fire inspector at the Graham Fire Department. Although Cole said the fire is considered suspicious by the nature and location it occurred, he said he believes determining the cause of the fire will be challenging due to the scale of the blaze.

“Unfortunately, buildings that size — when they burn like that — sometimes are very hard because any evidence burns up inside the fire,” Cole said. “So we've called our friends from the [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives] that helped us last time so we have just kind of been working with them, bouncing ideas off each other.”

This marked the second major fire at the same complex, the first of which occurred in October 2022 and resulted in multiple confirmed structural collapses.

The roughly 11-acre complex was used until Culp, the current name of the company, closed the facility in 2007 when it decided to move operations to Anderson, South Carolina, and overseas to Shanghai.

The owner of the complex, UK Warehousing LLC, is registered as a North Carolina Domestic Limited-Liability Company in Morrisville, North Carolina.

Records from the Alamance County Tax Administration show that UK Warehousing LLC has failed to pay taxes on the property since 2016. Cumulatively, UK Warehousing LLC owes roughly $17,647 in taxes.

One resident from the Graham area who wished to remain anonymous said they have had concerns about security around the complex, especially after the October 2022 fire.

“There were already holes in the fence, but then the October 2022 fire happened, and the fire department cut large swaths of the fence out so they could get in and there was no effort made to secure the property at all,” the resident said. “Anybody who wanted to could easily walk in there.”

Firefighters are urging people who live near the old Culp Weaving Mill to stay indoors and limit outdoor activities.

GRAHAM, N.C. — The Graham Fire Department is warning of air quality as the old Culp Weaving Mill continues to spark hot spots from a fire Sunday.

That fire collapsed the factory and emitted thick smoke through the neighborhood.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took samples from the site and the City of Graham released an air quality report Thursday night.

It showed the air quality in the two-block radius of the mill is moderate to unhealthy.

Karen Cano said her mother and grandmother live close by.

"We are a little worried, because like the last two days you could smell a lot. It was really bad. They have headaches every day her and my mom that live here they were having headaches," Cano said.

Mark Montgomery also lives near the mill.

He said he had to spray his roof down with water Sunday night, as embers fell on top.

"It was unnerving a little bit, especially Sunday because I came in right as it looked like it was starting. I started watching a football game and had neighbors banging on my door saying, Mark there are embers on your house you need to come out," Montgomery explained.

Now, days after the fire has been put out, he has to deal with the smoke.

"That's why I sort of waited until the end of the week before mowing my front yard. I was waiting for it to sort of settle down," Montgomery said.

The fire department is urging people who live in the area to stay inside as much as possible and limit outdoor activities, especially when there is visible smoke.

Neighbors with health conditions like breathing sensitivities should shelter in place. The fire department is still watching for open flames smoldering beneath debris and said certain areas of the building are unsafe to access.

"Every day we hope its going to get a little bit better because the fire will eventually burn itself out. That's what is producing the smoke now is all the stuff under the debris that's burning," Graham fire Chief Tommy Cole said.

The City of Graham has made the up-to-date EPA reports accessible to the public, here.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation though it has been deemed suspicious.

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