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In six months, the vacant, sprawling Strathmore Paper Mill has been engulfed in flames four times - the most recent being Dec. 10.
Fires were set in two of the old mill buildings in June, July, November, and December. The destruction released asbestos that the Department of Environmental Protection cleaned and is holding the property owner liable for costs.
Owner Jacob Trudeau purchased the mill in 2019 for $15,000 and hoped to put a marijuana cultivation business there, according to the Berkshire Eagle. The building was not insured, the paper reported. At the time Trudeau said he had much of the building cleaned out and was having difficulty securing the massive structure from trespassers.