Firefighters remain at the scene of a massive blaze at a scrapyard in Stouffville.
Emergency crews found giant flames lighting up a massive plume of smoke after they were called to the fire at a metal scrapyard on Woodbine Avenue between 19th Avenue and Stouffville Road shortly after 1 a.m.
Whitchurch-Stouffville Fire Chief Rob McKenzie told CP24 that firefighters allowed the fire to burn down before attempting to extinguish it because water proved ineffective due to the heat of the blaze.
“We did well in containing it and it’s still contained now. So there’s no threat outside of that immediate area,” McKenzie said at the scene.
He said a mix of materials – including car parts, old furnaces, refrigerators and stoves – fueled the fire.
Speaking to CP24, the yard’s owner Nick Gallo said he had no clue how the fire started.
Because the scrapyard is located in a rural area with no fire hydrants, firefighters had to truck in water and sand to contain the large fire.
Aerial images showed heavy black and grey smoke billowing for miles from the scene of the inferno.
It’s not clear how the fire started.
No one was injured.
Woodbine Avenue was closed between 19th Avenue and Stouffville Road for several hours because of the fire. It reopened shortly before 9 a.m.
