"As soon as they let us, we'll get in here and make an assessment and see what it's going to take to get back on our feet," said Timothy "T.J." Wright, a co-owner of the Indiana-based business that has owned Alloy since 2005.
Champaign firefighters were called at 8:48 p.m. Friday to the business at 1700 W. Washington St., which makes castings designed to withstand heat for a variety of industries.
There was a large fire inside the west end of the plant, nearest Mattis Avenue, where materials used in the production of castings were stored. None of the 92 employees were working at that hour, according to plant manager Ron Baldus.
"The initial crews were able to get inside the building to make an interior attack but couldn't get to the seat of the fire," said Champaign Deputy Fire Chief Dave Ferber.
"It was a very large area on fire and they just couldn't get it out. It just kept getting bigger all the time," he said.
As the fire grew, breaking through the roof, crews were pulled out to fight the blaze defensively.
Champaign firefighters sounded second and third alarms, getting help from Urbana and Savoy. Ferber estimated there were more than 50 firefighters helping subdue the inferno, which could be seen for miles. They said the fire was out about 2:15 a.m. Saturday.