A demolition crew inadvertently started a fire Thursday morning that destroyed the abandoned industrial building it was hired to tear down, plant officials say.

No injuries were reported.

Vice President of Composite Manufacturing Darrell Keeling says the blaze left the old portion of the Roseburg Forest Products plant in ruin, but the new adjacent 30 million dollar melamine plant was unscathed.

The old plant is about five miles north of the town square.

Century Demolition, a contracted crew from Tupelo working on demolishing the old building, sparked the fire, Keeling said in an article by The Oxford Eagle.

During the first 30 minutes of the blaze, firefighters struggled with water-supply problems, lack of manpower and concerns about gasoline and diesel storage tanks within range of the flames.

Keeling said the fire seemed to be under control by noon and most of the firefighters left about 2 p-m. The gasoline and diesel tanks were secured.

The 40-year-old facility has been closed since 2003. About 120 people work at the new plant, which was purchased by Oregon-based Roseburg last year.

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