Firefighters returned to the Parkdale Mills in Leesburg for a second time on Monday evening.

Leesburg Fire Chief Nati Rodriguez said that cotton dust caused a rekindle in the filter house. Firefighters had to cut a large hole in the roof of the filter house to access the fire. Employees were evacuated from the area, no injuries were reported. 

Firefighters had responded earlier Monday morning after a spark from one of the machines ignited a small fire, which spread into some duct work. The blaze was brought under control in less than an hour – and the immediate area around the machinery suffered only minimal water damage during the incident.

Emergency personnel – including units of the Leesburg, Sand Rock, Tucker’s Chapel and the Centre fire departments in addition to Leesburg Police, Floyd EMS Medics, Sheriff’s Office personnel and Cherokee County EMA Director Shawn Rogers responded to the scene.