'Stubborn' blaze by train tracks in Halifax kept firefighters busy

A large fire at a shed by railway tracks on Chisholm Avenue kept Halifax firefighters busy Saturday evening.

Crews were called to the scene at 5:05 p.m. As of 7:20 p.m., there were about 30 firefighters on scene.

Crews could still be seen at the site putting out hot spots on Sunday morning.

Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency said there was no one in the building in the west-end structure at the time crews arrived. No injuries have been reported.

"It's just going to be a stubborn fire that's going to take several hours to extinguish," said District Chief Brad Connors.

Connors said there are several large fuel storage tanks near the structure, an old train maintenance facility that belongs to CN.

A spokesperson for CN told CBC News in an email the building was empty and not in use at the time of the fire. 

Some residents living near the site of the fire lost water around 6 p.m. on Saturday. They were told it was because the water was needed to fight the fire.

Service resumed around 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.

The fire produced a large cloud of smoke on Saturday that could be seen from Dartmouth. Closer to the scene, the smell of smoke was heavy in the air.

The flames attracted dozens of onlookers behind the Joseph Howe Superstore.

The cause of the fire is not known.