Firefighters on Thursday fought a stubborn fire on three floors of a vacant mill building next to another Sanford building destroyed in a historic fire in June, officials said.

The two-alarm fire was reported around 6:34 a.m. in the front tower of the Stenton Trust Mill at 13 River St. in the city’s downtown. No one was injured, and the cause remains under investigation by the Sanford fire marshal and the state Fire Marshal’s Office.

The rear tower of the abandoned Stenton Trust Mill burned June 23 in the largest mill fire Sanford firefighters have ever dealt with. More than 100 firefighters from 20 communities fought that fire, and two of the three boys charged with setting it have pleaded guilty to minor charges.

Thursday’s fire was reported by a 911 caller shortly after 6:30 a.m., then confirmed almost immediately by a firefighter driving past on his way to work, said Capt. Brian Watkins of the Sanford Fire Department. Firefighters knocked down the flames within about a half hour, but it wasn’t easy, he said.

“It was stubborn because the majority of the fire was in the floors,” he said. “Those floors are very old and soaked with all sorts of stuff from when they were active mills. We had three stories of wooden floors going.”

Crews from multiple fire departments responded to the scene and to provide station coverage.

Gillian Graham can be contacted at:

ggraham@pressherald.com

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