Firefighters faced heavy smoke and intense head early Wednesday when they battled a fire at a metal shop in Orange.
Two employees escaped the flames at Quality Aluminum Forge in the 800 block of North Cypress Street. The fire, reported at about 2:30 a.m., destroyed a building where aluminum aircraft parts and other metal products are manufactured.
"This fire was so hot and the volume was so great... the firefighters can't even enter (the building)," said Capt. Ian MacDonald. "The roof is essentially destroyed."
No injuries were reported.
There are hazardous materials inside the building, but firefighters said water runoff from the firefight was not contaminated.
Witnesses said the fire began when hydraulic oiled was spilled on a hot surface. The official cause of the fire was not immediately determined.
"This could have easily been a fire that created injuries or a fatal fire... if everybody hadn't handled the situation safely," MacDonald said.
