A fire at the City of London landfill that grew to the size of a football field is believed to have been caused by a lightning strike.
London firefighters were called to 3502 Manning Dr. around 6:15 a.m. Wednesday after thick smoke was seen coming from the garbage dump.
"There was an area about the size of a football field, maybe 15 or 20 feet deep, of household waste that was burning pretty hard," Platoon Chief Shawn Fitzgerald said of the scene when crews arrived. "The wind was blowing [the fire] but we were able to get ahead of it and cut it off."
Landfill employees assisted firefighters by using machinery to pull the garbage apart to ensure there was no fire left beneath the surface. Three tanker trucks were needed to shuttle water to the site as there are no nearby hydrants and a hazmat team was brought in to monitor air quality.
There were concerns for drivers as the low lying, heavy smoke was causing visibility issues as it headed east to Wellington Road.
"There was a concern with the air being heavy, the smoke was travelling east over Wellington Road. It was staying low to the ground so there were some visibility issues for drivers. Our hazmat team monitored air quality and found nothing of note in the air that was toxic or dangerous to the public."
It took firefighters roughly three hours to extinguish the fire and by 9:30 a.m. just a few hot spots remained.
No injuries were reported.
According to Fitzgerald, the blaze was likely started by lightning during Tuesday night's severe thunderstorms.
"If it was struck by lightning and lightning was the cause, it would have smouldered all night and that explains the extent of fire that was located just after 6 a.m.," said Fitzgerald.
Active incident: Emergency crews on scene at Manning Dr waste dump for a fire. Smoke blowing easterly and hanging low to the ground. Use caution travelling on Wellington Rd due to smoke conditions. @lpsmediaoffice @MLPS911 @CityofLdnOnt #ldnont pic.twitter.com/Zmj0PUCFLv
— London Fire Department (@LdnOntFire) June 30, 2021
