AUBURN – For the second time in two years, firefighters doused flames in a machine that molds synthetic fibers into car trunk liners, prompting evacuation of Formed Fibers Technology’s plant.

No injuries were reported.

Firefighters used two hoses to knock down flames in a hot air drum that bonds fabrics with heat at the Allied Road plant.

They pulled off panels on the machine, which measures roughly 15 feet wide and 18 feet tall, in order to reach the flames inside, said fire Capt. Scott Hunter, scene commander. The fire was reported at 10:15 a.m. and brought under control within 40 minutes, according to fire officials.

Flames also licked the underside of the metal roof and a few crept outside, sending smoke out of a nearby vent, Hunter said.

Firefighters gained access to the roof from a truck’s tower to douse those flames, he said. They cut away roof material around the vent to help put the fire out, Hunter said.

Workers were testing a new product when materials on a roller inside the oven ignited. They smothered the flames with powder, but the materials reignited and flames shot up to the top of the oven, said fire Lt. Gary Simard.

A damper at the top shut, preventing fire from spreading through the ductwork to other parts of the building, Simard said.

The roller in the oven was damaged and could cost up to $100,000 if it needs to be replaced, Simard said. The machine likely will be out of commission for a couple of days, he said.

A spokeswoman for the company said the extent and cost of the damage is still being investigated, but it’s believed to be “minor.”

Except for the manufacturing line where the fire occurred, the plant was up and running after the fire was extinguished, the spokeswoman said in a written statement. She didn’t say when that machine would be back in operation.

Workers were sent to the parking lot while firefighters brought the blaze under control.

“They did a real good job of doing their evacuation plan,” Hunter said.

Hunter said it was the second time within the past two months firefighters responded to the plant. Then, a gas leak was reported at the plant.

Two years ago, a fire in the same oven, called No. 2, spread flames through a network of ducts. Firefighters had to remove more than a half-dozen roof vents and cut pipes to get at the flames.

Safeguards put in place after that fire prevented flames this time from causing more extensive damage, Simard said. “That’s the good news,” he said.

Because the machine is essentially an oven used in a molding process, there is a risk of fire, he said.

“Most of the time, their system within the machine catches it, but sometimes, like this one, it gets a little bit bigger than they can handle,” Hunter said.