Mass Moments reminds us that on the evening of  December 11, 1995 – a fire reduced Malden Mills to rubble. It  was one of the worst in the state’s history. Seven hundred people were at work in the factory when, at a little past 8:00 p.m., a boiler exploded in one of the mill buildings. The explosion was so powerful that it ruptured gas mains; fire quickly engulfed the buildings. Employees fled into the streets; 33 were injured, four of them critically.

The fire was a catastrophe for the communities of Methuen and Lawrence where many of the mill’s immigrant workers lived. Malden Mills was one of the largest employers in the area. The mill was well-known for its production of Polartec, a synthetic fleece. Clothing made from lightweight and fast-wicking Polartec fleece, worn next to the skin, keeps wearers warm and dry.  Owned and operated by  Aaron Feuerstein and the Feuerstein family, the  Malden Mills company had a longstanding reputation for being good to its employees and for being committed to the local community. People around the country and the world would come to know and admire Aaron Feuerstein when it came to light that he would continue paying his workers during reconstruction of the mill property.

Read more here about the Malden Mills fire and the long range fall out for the mill, the employees and for Aaron Feuerstein.