PICKENS, S.C. -- Fifty people are without a job after a fire sweeps through an Pickens County sawmill on Wednesday night.

The fire happened at Durham Sawmill on Looper Lane.

Firefighters said the sawmill was full of sawdust, wood chips and oil, which made the blaze particularly difficult to fight.

Crews battled the flames for about an hour and a half and then spent the remainder of Wednesday night putting out hot spots.

Firefighters said they had to climb under the mill and into a pit filled with 8 feet of sawdust to get the fire extinguished.

“All the sawdust that’s accumulated in here over time,” said Chris Elrod with the Pickens Fire Department as he pointed to the smoke rising from the building.

Firefighters said they believe an employee who was welding inside the mill started the blaze.

The owner, Zecil Durham, said he is coming to terms with the loss of his business. He said the mill will be out of commission for at least two months.

“Lord, yeah,” Durham said. “It will put a hurting anytime you are out of work. It hurts with fuel prices the way they are.”

Durham said his 50 employees will be without work until the business is back up and running.