Smoky scrapyard fire in the Halifax area prompts emergency alert about air quality

HALIFAX — A smoky scrapyard fire Friday in the Halifax area prompted emergency officials to urge people in the area to close their windows and doors and turn off all air exchangers.

Photos from the scene at Dawn Drive in Dartmouth, N.S., showed flames and heavy black smoke enveloping a large pile of scrapped cars and twisted metal.

Roy Howlett, deputy chief of Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency, said the fire broke out behind Dartmouth Metals, a metal recycling company in the Burnside Industrial Park.

An air advisory alert was broadcast over cellphones, radio and TV stations at around 1:15 p.m.

Howlett said there were concerns the smoke was particularly hazardous because the fire was fuelled by oil, gasoline, grease and plastic-coated wiring.

“All smoke is bad, but this stuff is higher level,” he said in an interview from the scene, adding that a number of small explosions were caused by rupturing hydraulic struts. “When people heard bangs and pops, that’s what it was.”

No one was injured and the cause of the fire had yet to be determined. By 3 p.m., the fire was contained and the smoke changed to a lighter colour.

“We’ll be here a while just putting water on in,” Howlett said. “In a matter of two or three hours, the smoke will dissipate.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2022.

The Canadian Press