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Fire continues to burn at recycling plant near Orlando International Airport

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A large fire at a metal recycling center continues to burn Thursday near Orlando International Airport.

The fire was reported Thursday morning at Trademark Metals Recycling on Landstreet Road.

"I was on the phone and told the person, 'Man, there's something on fire,' and it was small. And it just grew and grew," said witness Roger Dodson.

Skywitness 9 flew over the scene, where thick, black smoke could be seen coming from a large pile of junk cars and scrap metal.

Orange County fire crews had to call in a second ladder truck about 12:30 p.m. to help battle the flames.

The Fire Department said all of the different materials in the pile have made it a challenge for them. Special equipment had to be brought in to move some of the junk so crews could tackle the blaze more efficiently.

"Because these are automobiles, you're going to have materials from the seats, plastics from the dashboards, so there are a lot of different materials burning in there which poses its own challenges," said Orange County Fire spokesman John Munhall.

Landstreet Road remains closed at Sidney Hayes Road.

A TMR employee told 911 dispatchers that a car fire spread to the pile, but a manager for the company now said the fire started in the pile.

The Fire Department said it's much too soon to determine the exact cause.

The cause of the fire is being investigated. No injuries have been reported.