Firefighters extinguish scrap metal fire at Hamilton recycling company

Black smoke filled the air Thursday afternoon, as Hamilton firefighters battled a burning nine-by-nine metre pile of scrap metal in the city's east end.

Around 1:45 p.m., firefighters got a call for a blaze at American Iron and Metal Recycling at 75 Steel City Court, said Hamilton Fire Chief David Cunliffe.

The location is near where Nikola Tesla Blvd. joins the Queen Elizabeth Way.

Crews could see a lot of smoke from a distance and called in extra help when they got to the scene, he said.

The burning pile was full of household scrap metal, like stoves, dishwashers and fridges.

"This was a deep seated fire that was emitting large volumes of black smoke," Cunliffe said.

Firefighters used large hoses and two aerial devices to fight the fire, he said, and on-site staff helped use heavy equipment to pull the pile apart. 

Crews were still on scene wetting down the pile as of late Thursday afternoon.

With so much smoke moving towards the QEW Highway, the Ministry of Environment sent air monitoring equipment but found no smoke-related issues.

No smoke was found in residential areas nearby.

No injuries were reported and firefighters do not yet know an official cause of the fire.