PARIS – Firefighters on Friday had contained a stubborn fire at a local warehouse but planned to keep watch at the Pine Street site into Saturday.

The fire, burning at NEPW Logistics since Wednesday afternoon, likely began when sparks from a welding torch ignited paper pulp stored inside the building, said Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

McCausland said investigators from the Fire Marshal’s Office would enter the building to inspect where the fire began once it was safe to do so. He said investigators would also look at the building’s sprinkler system, which employees have said was operational.

Scott Parker, public information officer and director of the Oxford County Emergency Management Agency, said excavators were brought in to remove debris from a collapsed roof, which had fallen on top of rail cars in the building’s loading area.

Parker said the excavators were also being used to remove the rail cars because heat had made the wheels and track brittle. Five cars had been removed by Friday afternoon, and firefighters were working to extract the last car and put out a fire in one of the cars that had been taken out of the building.

Twisted metal from the fallen roof and burned, sodden paper had been pushed aside to allow access to the building. Dennis Yates, assistant chief with the Norway Fire Department, said water from the firefighting efforts was causing stacks of paper to lean against two walls on either side of the track. Yates said firefighters were proceeding with caution in case either one collapsed.

Once the last rail car was removed, firefighters would douse hot spots inside the building, Yates said.

Chief Brad Frost of the Paris Fire Department said more than 200 firefighters had come to the site. He credited training standards and mutual aid for the cooperation among departments.

Jacob Goddard, a firefighter with the Stoneham Fire Department, said he worked four to five hours on the first and second days of the fire, helping to drag hoses and deliver food.

“It was real busy,” Goddard said. “A lot of confusion; I know that.”

Teresa Inman, a Paris firefighter and administrator with the Oxford County EMA, said she worked back-to-back 12-hour days at the scene with about three hours of sleep in between. She said emergency services were doing regular checks on firefighters and that some responders had to be told to go home after 18 hours of work.

“You catch your second wind,” Inman said. “You get so busy with everything that’s going on that you don’t have time to think about how tired you are.”

Inman said 53 departments responded to the fire or were direct support at nearby stations. She said the number represented about 10 percent of the departments in the state.

About 20,000 tons of paper and paper pulp worth an estimated $10 million was in the building at the time of the fire. Some of the product may be salvaged.

Fifteen employees escaped the building unharmed, and some firefighters were treated for health issues, but none suffered injuries.

Parker said the EMA would coordinate an after-action review to determine the lessons of the fire and address any problems.

NEPW Logistics owner Drew Gilman of Scarborough spent Friday searching for a new warehouse site.

“We’re looking at short-term space,” Gilman said. He’s been looking at buildings between 30,000 and 100,000 square feet with high ceilings in Oxford, Lewiston, Auburn and even Wilton and Turner, he said. “We’re going to scramble.”

The 28 employees at the Paris warehouse will remain on the payroll as they help set up a temporary office in Mechanic Falls and clean out what remains of the Paris warehouse on Pine Street, salvaging important documents and other items, said Gilman.

He was unsure what would happen to the Paris facility. No damage estimate was available, but there was “devastation in the middle” of the building where the roof collapsed during the height of the fire on Wednesday.

A total of 48 people are employed by NEPW Logistics in five warehouses in Franklin County and other parts of the state, Gilman said. Most of the Paris employees will end up in a new facility although a few may be shifted to other warehouses.

“We’re working. It’s a tough project, but we’ll get through it,” Gilman said. He expressed gratitude to the many firefighters and townspeople for their assistance.

“The community is pretty amazing. We’re very thankful. It’s a tough time, but we will succeed,” he said.