A four-alarm industrial fire in Etobicoke, the second major fire at the same waste transfer station in less than a year, has been put out after briefly impacting visibility on a nearby highway Tuesday morning, authorities say.
The fire broke out around 3:45 a.m. at the waste transfer station near Disco Road and Highway 427 and raged for hours before crews were able to get it under control, Toronto Fire Service Cmdr. John Carson told reporters around 7:30 a.m.
The fire has since been extinguished, Toronto police said in a post on social media platform X around 12:30 p.m.
Police warned that heavy smoke from the fire was reducing visibility on Highway 427 and surrounding roads early in the morning, but Carson said smoke has since dissipated and should have no impact on drivers.
Initially reported as a three-alarm fire, it was upgraded to a four-alarm fire due to resources needed at the scene, he said. No one was injured.
The waste transfer station experienced another major fire in October, when over 100 firefighters worked overnight to extinguish a five-alarm blaze there.
There is no immediate indication of the cause of Tuesday's fire and it is not considered suspicious, but authorities will be investigating, Carson said. He said crews would be on the scene all day.
Construction material and insulation had caught on fire in a remote portion of the building, he said. There is no immediately apparent structural damage, aside from a small section of the roof directly over the fire.
There were multiple road closures in effect around the waste transfer station as crews fought the fire, but they have since reopened.
In an emailed statement to CBC Toronto, Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks spokesperson Gary Wheeler said ministry personnel went to the scene to evaluate any potential environmental impacts after it was notified that fire-fighting suppression water may have entered Mimico Creek.
"At this time, no impacts to fish or aquatic life have been observed," he said.
Wheeler said catch basins on the property were covered to reduce the flow of water and containment measures were put in place at nearby storm sewer outfalls and in Mimico Creek.
He added the waste transfer company, York 1, also hired a cleanup contractor to take on cleanup efforts.
"Ministry staff will continue to assess the situation at the site and oversee cleanup efforts to ensure necessary actions are undertaken to address environmental impacts," Wheeler said.