The former Building 19 complex off Hathaway Road in New Bedford was the scene of a two-alarm fire Sunday afternoon. Firefighters say a passerby noticed smoke coming from a building and called the Fire Department.

Fire Chief Michael Gomes tells WBSM News, the fire began in transformers outside the building, and then spread inside. "The damage is primarily to the main electrical room itself, but due to the fact that we had an active fire in a mill building, we struck a second alarm to insure we had adaquate resources in order to deal with the incident," said Gomes.

Firefighters had to wait while Eversource cut power to the building, but the fire was eventually extinguished. No one was hurt.

Chief Gomes says mill complexes like Building 19 are always a concern. "When we have these type of buildings, because of their size, this one isn't as bad because its not in a residential neighborhood and there are not a lot of buildings located close to it. This one doesn't keep me up at night, but there are others," said the Chief.

Gomes says if the fire had happened at night, the damage likely would have been much more extensive.

Jim Phillips / TSM
Jim Phillips / TSM
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