Old Miller burns in suspicious fire

Old A. L. Miller High School burned early Friday morning in a fire without known cause, but plans for redeveloping the property will still move forward.

The fire started a little after midnight and primarily affected the gym and cafeteria buildings, the Macon Telegraph reported.

Macon-Bibb County Firefighters were able to contain the blaze around 4 a.m. Friday, with hoses still flowing well into the afternoon.

The abandoned school property was set to be repurposed as apartments next month.

Jim Huffstetler, the project manager for the redevelopment, said that is still the plan because the primary building — the castle-like shell of an old girl’s high school — is still intact.

“It’s structurally sound. It’s just got to be cleaned up,” Huffstetler told the Telegraph.

Firefighter Capt. Rex Sampson, the first incident commander on the scene, was injured. Assistant Fire Chief Shane Edwards said Friday that he was “on the mend.”

With no utilities hooked up to the building, authorities are concerned about the fire’s origin. Investigator Steve Wesson told the Telegraph that the investigation into potential arson will not be finished for a “little while,” but he did call the blaze suspicious.

Once the embers cool, Wesson will begin collecting the evidence.

Anyone with information about the fire or a potential cause is asked to call Georgia Arson Control at 1-800-282-5804 or the Macon-Bibb Fire Department at 478-751-9180.

The Macon Telegraph originally reported on this story at Macon.com