Grandin’s Hubbard Mill Destroyed in Morning Fire

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Extreme dry and windy conditions go hand in hand to fuel fires in our area.
 
Numerous crews were dispatched this morning to a small mill fire in Grandin, which took a turn for the worse thanks to the wind.

Cass County Deputies say that fire crews will be working through the night to make sure the flames are completely out.
 
More than a dozen surrounding firefighting crews and emergency responders were dispatched to help fight the flames of a fire that broke out at The Hubbard Mill in Grandin.

The Fire Marshall has yet to pinpoint the cause, but windy conditions topping 60 mph made it difficult to contain the blaze.
 
“It has gotten worse from when we first got here. We still don’t know the cause at this point us speaking to the fire chief on scene, and it’s only speculation of what has caused it. We don’t know a definite answer on that,” says Joe Hedin, Cass County Patrol Deputy.
 
People in homes around the mill evacuated on a voluntary basis.
 
As firefighters continued to put out the blaze through extreme wind conditions, officials say the building will most likely be a complete loss.
 
Deb Sorsen of Grandin says over the years the mill had become a landmark in the community.
 
“It’s sad. It’s just so sad,” says Deb.
 
She has seen it change names and managers, including when her own father used to manage the building.
 
“My dad was a manager there for over 40 years so…and then my neighbor is manager now so it’s just really sad. I feel bad for everybody,” says Deb.
 
Her son Cass says seeing the site of some of his childhood memories collapsing in flames is a sad end to an era.
 
“The towers were still up, and then I came out here with my mom to watch it, and we saw the other one tip. It’s a lot of memories in there. We use to play around there…ride bikes. That’s too bad,” says Cass.

One firefighter was hurt battling the blaze.

He has non-life threatening injuries.