Fire at industrial building sends clouds of black smoke into Montreal morning air

Large clouds of black smoke billowed into the air in Montreal East on Sunday morning after a tank caught fire at a business.

The Montreal fire department paged the Montreal police (SPVM) for assistance in traffic control at 5:25 a.m. after a fire caught at the Bitumar Plant on Broadway Ave. near Cherrier Street in Montreal East.

Montreal police (SPVM) spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant said there were no injuries and no buildings needed to be evacuated.

Around 80 firefighters were on the scene and the fire was put out by 9 a.m.

Fire department officials said an asphalt tank caught fire but that it was nearly empty, and there was no danger of it causing a major blaze.

Due to the mass amounts of smoke, however, residents in the area were advised to stay indoors. 

Feu de bâtiment - Intersection - avenue Broadway/ rue Sherbrooke Est - Première alarme - Coupure de courant possible. Merci d'éviter le secteur. pic.twitter.com/LFC9PGWcD0

— Sécurité incendieMTL (@MTL_SIM) February 12, 2023

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  A fire in Montreal East sent black smoke billowing into the air. (Scott Prouse/CTV News)