Scrapyard fire at recycling yard in Belleville sends plume of smoke over city
A scrapyard fire broke out Saturday afternoon at a Belleville metal recycling yard, sending a plume of smoke over the city.
East Side Fire Protection District responded to a call for a fire at John Paule Metal Recycling’s scrapyard at 1739 Freeburg Ave. around 2:11 p.m.
Assistant Chief Lyn Mueller said the fire started while work was being done in the yard after an explosion ignited several objects.
As of 4:30 p.m. the protection district was still battling flames, but Mueller said the fire was “essentially out” and had been under control for some time.
“It was a very substantial fire initially,” he said.
Lyn said the fire spread quickly due to residual amounts of gasoline in the many scrap cars in the yard. He said every so often during the fire, another gas tank would explode.
“Even though they try to drain gasoline from junk cards there is always some remaining,” he said.
The Belleville Fire Department and Northwest Fire District assisted with the fire while Swansea Fire Department provided mutual aid.
This story was originally published July 27, 2019 at 3:24 PM.