Fire at SE Calgary metal recycling yard prompts large response

A two-alarm industrial fire in Calgary’s southeast kept crews busy Thursday night.

The Calgary Fire Department (CFD) says just before 9 p.m. on, several calls were made to 911 about an industrial fire in a metal recycling yard in the 300 block of Ogden Road SE.

Fire crews could see a large plume of black smoke while leaving the fire station, and called for more resources.

When they arrived on scene, firefighters found heavy, dark smoke and flames coming from a pile of crushed vehicles within the compounds.

CFD says due to the large volume of smoke and flames, the fire was upgraded to a second alarm for more resources.

Firefighters set up numerous aerial ladders with elevated water streams, as well as nozzles on the ground to extinguish the fire.

The department explains once it was safe, crews used heavy machinery, operated by site staff, to pull apart the large pile of vehicles with the goal of completely extinguishing the fire.

There were no employees on site at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported.

At the height of the fire, there were 19 fire trucks and 44 firefighters on scene.

Calgary police officers were also in the area helping to block off roads.

There was significant smoke that was visible at the time from many areas of the city, including the Stampede Grounds.

The CFD Hazardous Materials Technicians monitored the air both around the fire scene as well as throughout adjacent parts of the city to make sure there were no hazards to the public.

Officials say the fire was brought under control within two hours and completely out within three hours.