Activist fears fire at Herdman’s Mill was ‘deliberate’

A SION Mills community activist has voiced fears that a fire which ravaged the village’s historic Herdman’s Mill yesterday (Saturday) evening ‘may have been started deliberately’.

At 18.37 on Saturday, the NI Fire and Rescue Service received a report of a fire at an isolated part of the mill which houses the hydroplant.

The fire service dispatched 36 personnel to the scene, with appliances in attendance from Strabane, Omagh, Newtownstewart, Castlederg and Omagh, along with an aerial appliance from Northland Fire Station, Derry and a command support unit.

After battling the blaze, the fire crews departed the scene at 21.55 on Saturday night.

A concerned Andy Patton, vice chair of Sion Mills Community Forum, said that he ‘would hate to think this fire was started deliberately’.

“I’m a wee bit disgusted,” Andy said. “However, I don’t yet know the full facts as to whether this fire was started by someone deliberately – or whether it was an electrical fault at the mill.

“In recent weeks, a small fire at a local playpark broke out, and I’d hate to think that we have someone in our midst who has a fire lighter and are causing these incidents to happen. Perhaps they are young or impressionable, and are unaware of the consequences of their actions.”

The 66-year-old, who was born and bred in Sion added, “Herdman’s Mill is a local heritage site with a long history within the village.

“This latest fire occurred in the part of the mill which houses the hyrdoplant, which makes it even more of a tragedy.”

Built in 1835 by James George and John Herdman from Belfast, Herdman’s Mill once employed more than 1,000 staff. It stopped spinning linen in 2004 and the company that owned the mill went into receivership in 2011.

The site was bought by the late lottery winner Margaret Loughrey for £1m in 2014.

Sadly, the site has been a target for vandalism, including being deliberately set alight, in recent years.