AUBURN - Workers cutting metal pipe in a warehouse complex at 25 and 27 McMaster St. started a fire Tuesday when sparks landed on a box of old books and roofing material.

Douglas Flint, owner of the Auburn Trading Post, said one of the two workers stayed behind to fight the fire while the other ran to get help.

“They had fire extinguishers with them but they just weren't big enough to do the job,” Flint said.

Auburn Fire Department Capt. Joseph Morabito said the warehouse was littered with books, furniture and other flammable material that fed the fire.

“Their housekeeping wasn't the greatest,” Morabito said. “There was a large amount of combustible stuff just lying around in there.”

A corrections officer at Auburn Correctional Facility and the building's owner both called 911 at about 2:30 p.m. to report the fire.

The fire was extinguished 80 minutes after firefighters arrived at the scene, Morabito said.

While there was no estimate on the amount of damage caused by the fire inside the brick building, the only visible damage to the outside of the building was a hole firefighters cut into the roof.

Firefighters faced a potential problem finding a water source because the closest hydrant was on the opposite side of the railroad tracks that run parallel to the trading post.

Morabito said there could have been problems if the train came while his men were still fighting the fire.

One Finger Lakes Railroad train did pass through the scene after the fire was contained, forcing the firefighters to disconnect their hose and move them off the tracks.

Auburn Police detectives are investigating the cause of the fire.