Officials seek information regarding arson fire at the old cotton mill building in Social Circle

Social Circle Police department is asking for the public’s help with information regarding the alleged arson on Easter Sunday at the old cotton mill building at 148 Cannon Drive in Social Circle. Walton County Fire Rescue assisted Social Circle Fire Department with the fire after the call came in to 911 at about 2 p.m. on April 4. WCFR Asst. Fire Chief Craig League said crews arrived to find the old mill building fully engulfed.

The Georgia Fire Marshal has since ruled the fire arson with Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King noting in the report that it “was intentionally set and has been ruled incendiary in nature.” The old structure was built in 1940 and about 17,343 square feet of the building was left after an earlier fire in the 1990s.

“Upon the fire department’s arrival, the second floor of the main structure was fully engulfed in flames,” King said. “A second fire was found near the old maintenance room on the left rear side of the building. Working with the Social Circle Fire Department, we have ruled this fire to be incendiary in nature.”

Anyone with information regarding this fire at the mill is asked to contact Social Circle Police Department at 770-464-2366 or the State of Georgia Arson Investigation Hotline at 1-800-282-5804. This anonymous hotline operates around the clock.