Dozens of Halifax firefighters worked to get a fire under control after a blaze broke out at a scrap metal yard in Goodwood Saturday morning.
Firefighters responded to the scrapyard on Mills Drive, just off Prospect Road, shortly after 6 a.m.
Joe Fulton, the acting district chief with Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency, said there were “heavy fire conditions” upon arrival.
“The issue with this area is it’s not hydrated, so we had to use a cistern on-site, plus some hydrants in Ragged Lake, to get a water supply to our aerial devices,” he said.
At one point, he said there were 60 to 70 firefighters and more than 20 units on scene, with tankers shuttling from either Ragged Lake or a cistern, feeding into their aerial devices.
Fulton said as of Saturday afternoon, the fire was contained and under control.
“We’re in the defensive strategy … we’re just protecting exposures, making sure our personnel are safe,” he said.
Fulton said the fire was burning through piles of things like car parts, appliances like refrigerators, fuels and batteries.
He said there was “toxic black smoke” and some businesses in the area had to shut down.
“Any sort of petroleum-based or toxic chemicals like that, it’s not good for anything to breathe,” he said, adding that firefighters had breathing apparatus to protect them from the toxins.
A section of Prospect Road at the intersection of Mills Drive was blocked off Saturday morning, but it reopened shortly after noon, according to the RCMP.
Fulton said he expects firefighters to be on scene until at least Saturday evening. He added the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Some residents evacuated
In a phone interview, Erica Fleck, assistant chief of emergency management with HRFE, said police evacuated some residents in the area due to smoke conditions.
She didn’t have the number of people who were evacuated, but she said there weren’t many because the fire was in an industrial area without many residences.
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A comfort centre has been set up at the fire station at 2417 Old Sambro Road in Williamswood.
In a social media post, the municipality said said residents and businesses close to the fire should close all windows and doors, shut down air exchangers and stay inside until air quality conditions improve.
Tim Backman, one of the residents who was evacuated, said at first he thought he was dreaming when he heard firetrucks early Saturday morning — but quickly learned there was a fire at the nearby scrap yard.
“The smoke was very thick, but it was blowing away from our property, which was a good thing, it was very toxic,” he said.
However, an RCMP officer ended up coming to his door later that morning and told him to evacuate because they were expecting the wind to pick up.
He said he went to Peggy’s Cove with his family and was able to return home later in the afternoon.
Backman said he was glad the fire didn’t come closer to his home.
“If that fire had been coming in this direction, we would have had to leave without being evacuated, for sure.”
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