Crews are still battling a “stubborn” fire at a Brampton scrap yard that resulted in thick black smoke billowing across the skies of the Greater Toronto Area.
Brampton Fire and Emergency Services (BFES) was called to a commercial property in the area of Goreway and Intermodal Drives at 4:18 p.m.
“On arrival, there was heavy fire and smoke visible from a large scrap yard fire,” BFES Deputy Fire Chief Michael Waite told reporters shortly before 8 p.m., four hours into the firefighting operations.
“This is a very active fire scene, a very stubborn fire. We’re looking to still try to extinguish it.”
Images from Chopper 24 show heavy flames tearing through piles of metal scrap. A large plume of smoke is also seen drifting south across the nearby Highway 407.
The smoke can also be seen from Pearson International Airport. Operations at the airport have not been impacted by the fire.
Waite said BFES has notified the Ministry of Environment, Peel Region Spills and Mississauga Fire “out of an abundance of caution” due to the smoke.
“This is a very, very difficult and challenging fire. It’s a very deep-seated fire,” he added.
No injuries have been reported. The cause and circumstances of the fire are unknown.
Waite noted that crews, using heavy equipment machines, are working with property personnel to reach the seat of the fire.
“We’ve determined the majority of the burning is in the centre part of the scrap fire. Utilizing our drone, we’ve also identified areas of concern for us, and we’re working to target those areas with our high-volume water streams,” he said.
Close windows and doors: deputy fire chief
He said crews will be on the scene for an extended period of time, describing it as a “long-duration event.”
“I think it would be a good suggestion to have anybody close any windows and doors inside of their home, turn off any sort of a ventilation system at this point,” Waite said.
Peel police media relations officer Tyler Bell told reporters that officers were initially called to the scene to assist with traffic as the fire broke out during rush hour.
“We did see substantial backlog in traffic areas due to simply the fact of people rubbernecking. So we’re reminding people this is not a technical scene to come out and explore. We don’t know what’s burning, we don’t know what’s dangerous, so if you can avoid it, avoid it,” Bell said.
“If you happen to be stuck in traffic in the area, as the fire deputy chief said, keep your windows up, if possible. We’ll have officers on scene assisting as required throughout the night.”
Intermodal Drive was closed for several hours but has since reopened.
