A passing thunderstorm sparked a fire Monday night in an old cotton mill in Forsyth.
Just after 8 p.m., firefighters were called to the Newton Mill Properties building on Adams Street, not far from the railroad tracks, Fire Chief David Herndon said.
"We feel positive that it was a lightning strike," Herndon said Tuesday morning. "We found where the lighting entered the building and started the contents underneath on fire."
The old cotton mill built in the mid-1800s was most recently used to manufacture yarn, but none of the machinery was destroyed as the flames were contained to a storage area loaded with plastic pallets, he said.
Flames were not shooting out of the roof, but thick smoke filled the building before firefighters arrived.
"It was a pretty dangerous situation because you could absolutely see nothing," Herndon said.