Fire strikes former Bancroft Mills in Wilmington

A two-alarm fire struck the abandoned former Bancroft Mills complex along the Brandywine in Wilmington early Saturday, sending flames high into the overnight sky.

The blaze at 169 Bancroft Mills Road was reported about 1 a.m. and burned for 4 1/2 hours before being brought under control.

Several units from the Wilmington Fire Department fought the blaze, with help from water tankers from the Delaware Air National Guard, New Castle, and Chester and Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

No one was injured, said fire officials, who said city and state authorities are investigating the cause of the blaze. Crews were staying on the scene overnight Saturday to secure the scene.

Opened in 1831 at the site of a former paper mill, Bancroft Mills was known in the 1930s as one of the largest cotton-finishing works in the world.

Contact senior reporter Cris Barrish at (302) 324-2785 or on Facebook