'I'm just in shock': Fire at Dartmouth scrap metal business out; air quality improves
A section of Dartmouth's Burnside Industrial Park was shut down Friday after a fire in a scrapyard triggered alerts and air quality warnings.
Approximately 30 firefighters and 10 trucks were still on the scene as of 2 p.m. Friday.
Halifax Fire says it has since been put out, but power in the area is still limited.
Members will continue to do a fire-watch overnight.
Officials say air quality in the area has improved and monitoring for contaminated runoff will continue over the weekend.
Halifax Fire District Chief Pat Kline said a call came in for an outside fire at the scrapyard at Dartmouth Metals around 11:15 a.m.
Kline says the team also used a drone with a high-definition and thermal camera to identify the hottest parts of the fire.
“We’ll be hours,” said Kline Thursday afternoon. “The crews did a great job at their initial arrival to get it contained and keep it in the rubble pile and protect this exposure building behind us.”
As a result of thick smoke, the emergency alert system was utilized around 1:20 p.m. to warn residents about air quality in the area.
The alert said residents and businesses close to the fire should shut all windows and doors, turn off air exchangers and stay inside until air quality improves, which was estimated to take roughly three to six hours.
Dartmouth Metals is a family-operated business that goes back to the 1960s.
Its owner David Giberson is on a fishing trip in New Brunswick, but has been getting updates all day from workers on site.
“I’m just in shock and awe that it happened because where it happened. It just happened in the middle of the steel pile,” said Giberson.
A large cloud of black smoke could be seen billowing from the yard from kilometres away.
“We have a salvage yard with motor vehicles that have been crushed and they still have rubber fuel remnants, batteries," said Kline.
However, Giberson said Dartmouth Metals doesn’t accept materials with tires or fluids. He said his team makes sure vehicles are decontaminated when they arrive.
“It’s possible a battery snuck through and caught the fabric on fire,” he said. “But I have no proof of that.”
“We’re going to do our due diligence and try to figure out the source and minimize the probability of it ever happening again,” said Giberson.
Kline said it’s unclear what started the fire, and according to police, the investigation is ongoing.
“It’ll be under investigation for a while and we may never find the cause, because of the fact it was a large pile of crushed cars,” said Kline.
Akerley Boulevard was closed to traffic between Mosher Drive and Windmill Road. Police asked drivers to use alternate routes to avoid delays.
Halifax Regional Police says no injuries have been reported as a result of the fire.
Giberson apologized for the problems the fire caused.
“This created such a nuisance for all of Burnside and the city,” he said. “It’s embarrassing. I’m going to make sure we do our best here at Dartmouth Metals to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'