SALISBURY — A fire broke out in a large storage facility/workshop off Old Union Church Road and Dirt Road about 9 p.m. Friday.

According to owner Mark Corley, he was inside his home farther up Dirt Road when he heard popping sounds. Looking out the window, he saw flames coming out of the roof of the shop. He said people driving by had already called 911.

He said he stores tools and equipment inside the building and there is a tractor behind it, but it wasn’t yet clear if the tractor was damaged. Corley said there were a lot of Halloween decorations inside as well for a large party planned for the holiday, and he thought those may be lost.

Corley’s brother arrived on the scene about 30 minutes after the initial call, running up and hugging his brother, clearly relieved he was safe.

Branches of the trees overhanging the building also caught fire, scorching all the way up the trunks but not bringing any trees down. Firefighters described the fire as “reduced” after about 45 minutes but remained on the scene for some time, sifting through debris to try to knock back any hot spots that could become full fires again.

Union Fire Department was joined by numerous equipment and firefighters from Rockwell Rural, Salisbury, Spencer, Rowan, Iredell, Granite Quarry, West Liberty, East Spencer, Millers Ferry and Cool Springs. Tanker trucks were given access on Dirt Road in order to provide a rotating supply of water, while all others staged along Old Union Church Road. Firefighters rotated on and off the scene as well to avoid heat exhaustion.

The scene remained active and a cause had not been determined as of end of Friday night.