Kent carefully clears mill debris but finding the cause of the fire could take months

Debris from the Kent mill in the week following the Dec. 2 fire. Wendy DiAlesandro/The Portager

Kent carefully clears mill debris but finding the cause of the fire could take months

- Wendy DiAlesandro

Demolition contractors are hard at work removing and transporting debris from the Dec. 2 Kent mill fire, starting on the west side of the structure and eventually moving to the east side, city officials say.

The work is made more difficult because there is no way to know if the structure — and the debris — contains asbestos. The EPA and demolition contractor are obligated to assume the hazardous material is present and to proceed with all caution, Kent Community Development Director Bridget Susel stated in a Friday memo.

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