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Flames rip through old mill in Fall River
By Nicole Fleming
Globe Correspondent

Fire swept through an old mill on Weaver Street in Fall River early Saturday morning causing it to collapse, according to authorities.

Just after 3 a.m., the Fall River Fire Department received reports of a fire in a large, vacant industrial building at 1 Weaver St. that was formerly a manufacturing plant, according to Peter Ostroskey, the acting state fire marshal.

“My understanding is that it was a Boston Globe delivery driver who called it in,’’ said Fall River police Lieutenant Barden Castro.

Firefighters found flames emanating from windows on upper floors, and officials termed it a “general alarm fire,’’ which means in excess of five alarms, Ostroskey said. That resulted in a response from all Fall River Fire Department units and some departments in nearby communities, he said.

No injuries were reported, according to Ostroskey.

A sprinkler system in the building was inoperable, he said.

The blaze was being investigated as possibly “suspicious,’’ said Fall River Fire Chief Robert J. Viveiros in an e-mail. The department was conducting an investigation along with Fall River police and State Police assigned to the state fire marshal’s office.

The fire was under control by 5:30 a.m.

“The building was a total loss, but they kept it to the building of origin, which was quite a feat,’’ Ostroskey said.

The building was near other structures, including “at least three similarly large mill-type buildings on adjacent properties’’ and a medical office building across the street, he said.

Nicole Fleming can be reached at nicole.fleming@globe.com.