Plumes of black smoke were visible for miles around London on Monday afternoon amid a fire in an area east of downtown.
London Fire Department officials said at about 4:30 p.m. that they had received multiple calls about the smoke. Officials indicated the blaze was related to rail ties at Elias Street in the city’s Old East neighbourhood. The smoke appeared to be originating near the local rail yard, which is located east of Quebec Street.
The spectacle – thick, black smoke rising high into the otherwise crystal-clear blue sky – drew plenty of onlookers and that in turn led to snarled traffic on Quebec Street. There were also plenty of people drawn from their homes to look skyward.
“I am at White Oaks and can clearly see it,” one person wrote in response to a photo of the smoke posted to Facebook, indicating a neighbourhood far away from the fire scene.
Added another: “(I) can see the smoke from street-level in Pond Mills.”
By 5 p.m., fire crews appeared to have brought the blaze under control, with the black smoke turning white. But officials also were warning nearby residents about the ongoing concerns over lingering smoke.
“Those in the area (are) advised to shelter in place until we say it is all clear,” fire officials wrote on social media.
Speaking to reporters on the scene, deputy fire Chief Gary Bridge said the fire department found heavy flames when they arrived, and black smoke that could be seen through most of London. Anderson Brewing and the Junction Climbing Centre, directly adjacent to the railway fire, were evacuated, Bridge said.
No nearby homes were being recommended for evacuation he said, but residents were urged to close their windows due to chemical off-gassing from the burning rail ties, which were in a pile roughly 15-feet high.
The cause remained under investigation, Bridge said.