Officials have listed the cause of a large fire this week at a Chatham scrapyard, which smells of heavy black smoke billowing throughout the area, as undetermined.
Fire crews responded to A. Gold and Sons, located on Queen’s Line, just before noon on Wednesday, after being dispatched for a smoke investigation.
“Upon arrival, firefighters encountered a large working fire in the northeast corner of A. Gold and Sons,” officials stated in a release.
“Approximately 20 scrap cars, along with numerous bins of tires, were burning. A general fire alarm was called due to the extreme heat, strong winds and the size of the fire.”
Approximately 45 firefighters attended the scene from stations in Chatham, Chatham South, Harwich North and Raleigh North.
Residents were urged to keep their windows closed due to the smoke, which was visible from most areas of the city.
Chatham-Kent police closed a portion of Queen’s Line to allow for an uninterrupted water shuttle. Chatham-Kent EMS also were on stage for firefighter wellness and rehab.
After putting out remaining hot spots, crews cleared the scene at approximately 3:30 pm
“There were no injuries and there is no estimated value of the damage, as it was scrap,” officials added. “The cause is undetermined. The Office of the Fire Marshal was contacted due to the size and nature of the fire for informational purposes only.”