Cayce, SC (WLTX) - A massive fire at a plastics recycling plant in Cayce kept firefighters busy and provided a sight for people all around the greater Columbia area.

The fire began around 9 a.m. Friday at World Wide Recycling on Foreman Street. Large plumes of smoke could be seen by people from as far away as downtown Columbia.

Intially, the Cayce Department of Public Safety responded, but firefighters from multiple jurisdictions ulitimately had to respond to contain the blaze.

A representative with the Cayce Department of Public Safety says a wooden pallett caught fire and spread to the nearby building. The fire then burned through a supply of petroleum-based plastics. After about two hours, the roof of the building collapsed.

Once the flames died down some, crews went into the plant with bulldozers to remove the collapsed portion so they could put out the fire that was hidden under the debris.

Adam Myrick with the Department of Health and Environmental Control said air quality was being monitored in the area, but there did not appear to be a threat to the community.

Some firefighters had to be taken from the scene due to heat exposure. Several employees who were inside the plant when the fire began made it out safely.

A cause of the fire has not been determined.

Dozens of people from around the Midlands have sent photos of the fire. You can scroll through them in the photogallery attached to this article.