Major fire burns at Quebec steel recycling plant east of Montreal

Annabelle Olivier · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 20, 2025 10:42 AM EDT | Last Updated: 26 minutes ago

Firefighters successful Contrecoeur, Que., astir 65 kilometres eastbound of Montreal, were engaged tackling a large occurrence astatine a alloy recycling works connected Sunday morning.

City spokesperson Sylvain Latour said the occurrence broke retired successful a salvage gait astatine the ArcelorMittal works astatine astir 4:30 a.m.

It is not yet known what caused the blaze, but Latour said it was the hulk oregon ammunition of aged vehicles that caught fire. 

By 8:30 a.m., the occurrence was inactive burning retired of control, Latour said.

Firefighters from neighbouring communities had to beryllium called successful to assistance the section occurrence department. 

The municipal civilian information enactment has been deployed and Latour said the Quebec Environment Ministry was notified. According to the city, initial aerial prime analyses carried retired by the ministry did not bespeak immoderate hazardous toxicity successful Contrecoeur.

Latour said the metropolis is monitoring wind direction, but truthful far, the ample plume of fume emanating from the occurrence has not reached residential areas.

In an interrogation with Radio-Canada Sunday morning, Contrecoeur Mayor Maud Allaire said evacuations were not  necessary. 

In a metropolis Facebook post, residents were being asked to debar the concern assemblage and enactment indoors if nearby.

It was besides recommended that radical adjacent their windows and crook disconnected immoderate ventilation systems should the fume scope their area.

Latour said determination were nary reports of injury.