A tractor-trailer fire on Algonquin Avenue, north of the Highway 11/17 bypass, was snuffed out fairly quickly Wednesday morning with the focus turning to the environmental clean-up.
“We received a call for a vehicle fire just after 2:30 am. When crews arrived the trailer of a transport truck was fully involved,” says Jason Whiteley, Chief of North Bay Fire and Emergency Services. “During the assessment, it was determined there were hazardous materials on the truck. Fire crews began a fire attack, knocked the fire down then immediately went into doing some environmental protection.”
He says there was a mixed load in the trailer.
“There were about 4,000 lbs of chlorinated products for pool products but there were also paint products. So there was a lot of spray paint cans shooting all over the place,” Whiteley says.
He says crews blocked off as much water runoff as possible with a contractor brought in by the company to mitigate the water and take care of the trailer and hazardous materials clean-up.
Whiteley says there were some evacuations during the fire too.
“The plume of smoke was heading to the plaza there and the Sobeys was in the line,” he says. “We checked all the buildings in that direct line. Sobeys had a night crew working so we evacuated them for an hour or two until we didn’t have a smoke plume anymore.”
Whiteley says there weren’t any injuries that he’s aware of.
As of 12:50 pm, the clean-up continues to disrupt traffic north of the Highway 11/17 bypass.
The North Bay Police Service says barricades are set up on Algonquin at Spencer and Shireff.
Motorists are asked to use Stockdale Road as a detour to Airport Road.
511 Ontario says highway traffic is being detoured via the Highway 11/17 bypass to Gormanville Rd, north on Gormanville to the roundabout, north on College Dr, and east onto Cedar Heights to Highway 11.
