Owner: Building was under 24-hour watch when fire started

Jan. 15--New documents filed in two lawsuits against the owner of The Old Shuford Mill now say that an employee was on his way to inspect the mill at the time the former mill building burned in July 2017.

Tony Hendrix and Tommy Moses were hired to maintain a 24-hour fire watch in The Old Shuford Mill, which was used mostly as rented storage units, shortly after the fire marshal found that the sprinkler system in the building and an electrical switch that monitors water pressure in the sprinkler system were not functioning, said J. Michael Granger, the owner of the mill, in a court affidavit.

On the evening of July 21, 2017, Hendrix and Moses worked in the building during the day and left at approximately 5:20 p.m. Hendrix returned at 6:15 and walked through the building, then went home to eat. About 7 p.m., Hendrix was on his way back to the building when he learned that it was on fire.

The building, which was about 115,000 square feet on the largest of its two floors, was consumed by the flames, destroying 250 storage units and several apartments.

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A lawsuit filed by Robert P. Schwartz and Diane Schwartz, and another filed by Bill Holland, accuse Granger of negligence, alleging that he only maintained the fire watch from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., not around the clock as the fire marshal ordered.

Granger settled an earlier lawsuit filed by Fireman Fundâ€s Insurance Co., which alleged the same thing, but has said he intends to fight the other lawsuits.

The cause of the fire was never determined, but investigators determined that the fire originated in the private storage areas upstairs, the affidavit said.

Reporter Kara Fohner can be reached at 828-610-8721.

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