LEWISTON — It was one year ago that the Cowan Mill was set ablaze, shutting down the city for hours in a fog of acrid smoke.

Embers from the inferno rained down on spectators and forced evacuation of nearby buildings. They also sparked a fire across Main Street on the roof of the Bates Mill.

A year later, piles of brick and jagged foundations are all that remain of the 160-year-old mill.

Investigators declared the fire was deliberately set. Dozens of witnesses were interviewed and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and successful prosecution of those responsible.

In October, after months of investigation, police arrested a 14-year-old local boy in connection with the fire.

Lewiston police and the State Fire Marshal’s Office turned their findings over to the District Attorney’s Office, but the boy was never formally charged.

Deputy Chief James Minkowsky of the Lewiston Police Department said that though the 14-year-old was not prosecuted, the case could be reopened at any time.

Martin Finley of Wales continues to be the property owner, according to city and county records. Finley was out of the country a year ago.

Deputy City Administrator Phil Nadeau said Wednesday his office has fielded many inquiries about the site, but there are no active plans for development of the vacant lot.

The city went to court last year to demolish the unstable brick walls that posed a safety hazard in the fire’s aftermath. Contractors demolished the skeletal remains, with the city picking up the roughly $100,000 cost.

“It’s a complex site with tremendous challenges,” Nadeau said. At the same time, its siting on the banks of the Androscoggin River and spectacular views of the Great Falls make it a coveted location, he said.

“We know that something in time will occur at that site,” he said, citing its “incredible potential.”

Given the poor state of the economy, it would be surprising if anyone were to come forward with plans, he said.

“Things are going to need to turn a little more positive” before that happens, he said.

“That fact that we’ve even had people making inquiries is encouraging,” he said.