Sun-Journal from Lewiston, Maine • A1

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Story on page B1 Thousands watch fire in Lewiston Cowan Mill burns Firefighters work at the scene as smoke and flames rise into the sky above Lewiston while the Cowan Mill is destroyed by fire Wednesday afternoon. Smoke also pours from Bates Mill No. 5, in the background. MM Staff Writer LEWISTON Chaos spread across the city Wednesday afternoon as the Cowan Mill on the shore of the Androscoggin River went up in flames. Buildings around it were showered with falling cinders.

Hours later, firefighters were still battling flames at the demolished mill. Local, state and federal investigators were searching for suspects, but no arrests were expected Wednesday night. At 4 p.m., flames began shooting from the upper floors of the mill next to Longley Bridge. Within 15 minutes, most of the roof had collapsed and what sounded like thunder roared as walls and floors came tumbling down. Thousands of people stood on the sides of Main Street watching the intense fire grow bigger, unaware that another building had caught fire behind them.

That happened about 4:20 p.m. when embers from the burning Cowan Mill floated down onto the roof of Bates Mill No. 5, setting the saw- tooth-roofed building across the street on fire. Auburn firefighters rushed to that scene to snuff out the flames before they could engulf Mill No. 5.

Meanwhile, there were reports that fires were starting at the building housing Restaurant, close to the burning Cowan Mill. concern right now is for other roofs and other said Lewiston police Chief Michael Bussiere, who was trying to help control a crowd of several thousand that clogged the downtown. got major issues with traffic Police were going onto rooftops all over the downtown to look for fallen embers in hopes of preventing further fires from starting. Bussiere said he called in his morning watch to increase police manpower in the city. UN OURNAL GRAPHIC Mile Cowan Mill To oney oxford Plains driver killed A large crowd watches the Cowan Mill fire from the Auburn side of the Androscoggin River on Wednesday afternoon.

Staff Writer LEWISTON When embers burned a hole through the roof of her stroller, Natasha Cerrato fled the scene of blaze. A moment later, she broke into a run, pushing 20-month-old Jonathan through the crowd. Police began yelling at the hundreds of people who had gathered in an empty lot beside Bates Mill No. 5 to watch the Cowan Mill fire. another an officer hollered, waving at the out of A small plume of black smoke began to rise from Bates Mill No.

5. Many people ran up the center of Main Street. Officers herded the onlookers a block away to the east side of Lisbon Street, where police began rolling out caution tape and directing the stacking traffic onto side streets. felt like something from a said friend, Tamesha Haas. The pair stood on a Canal Street sidewalk, watching firefighters put down the small, second blaze.

grandmother worked in one of those Cerrato said, shaking her head. People had walked 10 or more blocks to gaze at the flames shooting dozens of feet high. They stood in a rain of cinders. Fist-sized clumps of ash fell as far away as Kennedy Park. felt like something from a ore inside TRAFFiC: It easy getting around the fire scene.

Page A9 TiMeLiNe: History of the Cowan and Libbey mills in Lewiston. Page A6 PhoToS: More pictures on pages A5, A6, A9, A10 Auburn man crashes into wall during amateur race, Page C1 i A9 CowAn ir A9.