Abstract: At approximately 8:30 a.m. on January 15, 1991, Employee #3, of Gastonia Sheet Metal Works, Inc., was at Southern Gear Works, Inc., in Gastonia, NC, cutting an old exhaust pipe from a heat treating unit with an acetylene torch. He was within 3 ft of a cardboard drum containing sodium and potassium nitrates, which are strong oxidizers. Sparks from the cutting ignited the drum, creating an area fire. The contractor's employees failed to clear the fire area of combustible materials before beginning acetylene torch cutting. No injuries, however, resulted from the fire or inhalation of smoke and fumes.