Five fire departments respond to Friday night scrapyard blaze

Firefighters in the RM of Springfield were busy Friday night, taking on a scrapyard fire involving molten metal into the early morning hours.

The Springfield fire department said they first got the call around 5 p.m., responding to General Scrap, 135 Bismarck Street. A thick black cloud of smoke could be seen coming from the eastern part of the city. 

A thick black cloud of smoke could be seen pouring from the scrap metal recycling yard. (Source: Rebecca Froese)

The business shreds and recycles used rebar, car parts, and other scrap metal for reuse in other products.

Transcona fire crews were the first on the scene, but several more fire departments were called in to help. Firefighters from Springfield, Oakbank, and Anola all responded. Tanker trucks from the West St. Paul and East St.Paul fire departments were also called in to provide more water support.

It took several hours for firefighters to douse the flames. A crane operator employed at the scrapyard helped by shifting around and spreading out piles of molten metal so crews could spray them with water.

It took several hours for firefighters to douse the flames. A crane operator employed at the scrapyard helped by shifting around and spreading out piles of molten metal so crews could spray them with water. (Source: Glenn Pismenny, CTV News)

The fire was declared under control by 11:30 p.m. Firefighters remained on scene well into the morning hours to clean up and monitor for hotspots.

No one was injured in the fire. Damage estimates are not available.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.