Windsor·Updated

Around 20 cars and 'numerous' bins of tires burned in Chatham scrap yard fire, officials say

A large fire burned at a scrap yard in Chatham on Wednesday afternoon prompting officials to urge nearby residents to close their windows and doors for protection against heavy smoke.

Ontario Fire Marshal has been called in to investigate due to the fire's size and nature

Crews work to put out a fire at a Chatham scrap yard on Sept. 6, 2023.
Crews work to put out a fire at a Chatham scrap yard on Sept. 6, 2023. (Chatham-Kent fire department)

The Ontario Fire Marshal has been called in to investigate a blaze at a Chatham scrap yard due to its nature and size.

It took five fire stations and 45 firefighters to put out the flames at A Gold & Sons scrap yard on Wednesday.

The heat, strong winds and size of the fire made it difficult to handle, according to Chatham-Kent fire officials.

Large plumes of smoke next to a corn field.
At one point, Chatham-Kent fire officials were telling the public to stay away from the area of a large fire at a scrap yard, and to close their windows and doors if they lived nearby. (Submitted by Warren Darling)

Crews attended the area of Queen's Line and Bloomfield road around 12:30 p.m., and eventually cleared the scene around three hours later.

No injuries were reported and there is no estimated value of the damage because it was scrap material, officials say.

A large scrap yard fire broke out in Chatham at A Gold & Sons Wednesday afternoon.
A large scrap yard fire broke out in Chatham at A Gold & Sons Wednesday afternoon. (Chatham-Kent fire department)

The cause is being left as undetermined at this time.

At one point, nearby residents were asked to close their windows and doors for protection against the heavy smoke.