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Owner: Sprinkler system was being fixed before old Shuford Mill fire

By Tina Terry, wsoctv.com and Dave Faherty, wsoctv.com
By Tina Terry, wsoctv.com and Dave Faherty, wsoctv.com

GRANITE FALLS, N.C. — Channel 9 obtained a fire inspection report on the old Shuford Mills building in Granite Falls for an inspection that was completed two days before a massive fire broke out.

The inspection report clearly states that the sprinkler system needed to be repaired as soon as possible and that a 24-hour fire watch needed to be provided for the building.

[READ: Shuford Mills building inspection report]

Mike Grainger, the owner of Shuford Mill, said he was taking action to fix the sprinkler system after an inspector found problems. Grainger said he made calls right after the inspection but needed a part that didn't arrive in time.

"The main thing was the fire pump, and we jumped right on that as fast as we could,” said Mike Garinger. “That’s what I want them to know. It's my baby. It's not like I was trying to hurt them in any way. In the back of my mind, I was thinking, ‘There's not going to be a fire.’”

(VIDEO: The Caldwell Journal)

Garinger had more than $1 million invested in the property but did not have insurance. There were 250 storage units being rented out in the building at the time of the fire.

Fire investigators believe the fire might have started near one of the storage units. It's in the same area where workers smelled a strange odor 24 hours before the fire.

"I can't even identify what it smelled like. So many people said propane or natural gas smells like rotten eggs. This smell I have never in my life smelled," said worker Tony Hendrix.

Fire investigators have not said for sure if the unidentified odor led to the fire because there is so much damage. They said it might be difficult for them to ever find a cause.

Because much of the roof collapsed, the fire is still smoldering, and several of the walls could collapse.

"It's not safe for the investigators to get in there and work. We'll have to do a lot of work just to shore it up to make sure it is safe for us to begin the investigation," fire marshal Kevin Brown said.

Officials are monitoring the building around the clock.

Residents lose belongings, memories in old Shuford Mill fire

A safe and a box of clothes were all that Kendra Farris and her fiance, John Villafania, have left after their storage unit in the old mill burned to the ground.

"Everything in that storage unit told our story together of how we came to be,” Farris said.

Furniture, clothes, love letters and medals from Villafania’s time in the Navy was in the storage unit. The couple are set to close on their first house this week and were storing their belongings until they moved.

[PHOTOS: Massive fire at old Shuford Mills building]

"Still almost in shock about it. It’s almost unbelievable,” Villafania said. “I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy."

The couple said they still have not heard from anyone about their unit and were even more shocked to learn of the fire inspection report.

“Why we weren't notified, like, ‘Hey, we're not up to par. You may want to come and get your stuff,’" Farris said. “That could've been a chance to save us from the heartache, and that's a lot to overcome, and that's our story."

The couple, who are set to wed in October, said it is a devastating setback, but it won't bring them down.

“We're going to go through with our wedding because love's the best thing that we have,” Farris said. “That's what we have left, so we’re just going to continue to build off that.”

Mark Jackson, who lives across the street and owns the Caldwell Journal, shared aerials of the aftermath of the devastating fire that roared through the building around 7:15 p.m. Friday.

At times, he said, he could feel the heat from the fire in his yard.

"The heat was really bad,” Jackson said. “At one point, I grabbed the garden hose and hosed down the front of our house and our roof."

There were five businesses in the building and three apartments, along with 250 storage units, which were all rented out.

Rodney Perry, who had one of the units filled with three decades of fishing gear, said he's more worried about other renters who had items that can't be replaced.

"That is minimal compared to other people compared to what they've lost,” Perry said. “That is minimal."

Fire departments from five counties were on the scene of the inferno near downtown.

One of the destroyed storage units belonged to Brenda Howell; she lost pictures of her daughter Missy, who died three years ago.

"It seems like a bad dream and I want to wake up,” Howell said. "Pictures from the first day she was born all the way up til she was 22. It's like losing her all over again."

One-by-one, people showed up wondering whether their belongings were also destroyed.

“It's kind of just a waiting game to see what happens,” Hough said.

A handful of businesses are gone, too, including the nonprofit Foothills Community Workshop, which the organization's president Colin Robinson said took a year to build.

“Just disbelief,” Robinson said. “It was about 6,000 square feet and it appears to be a total loss, so we're looking for another space to get into.”

Homes were evacuated near the fire because of the intense heat and shelters were set up in town. The evacuation was lifted.

No injuries were reported, including to firefighters, though some were treated for heat-related conditions.

The Granite Falls Recreation Center, the Granite Falls Drug Center and the Granite Falls town offices were open to serve as cooling centers and rehab centers for firefighters. 

The American Red Cross also responded.

The mill was more than 100 years old, Mayor Barry Hayes said.

Video received from Channel 9 partners at the Caldwell Journal shows smoke and flames pouring out of the building for hours.

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