Lockdown notice issued for residents near Port of Montreal due to lithium battery fire
The City of Montreal has issued a lockdown notice for residents in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough due to smoke from a fire in a container storing 15,000 kilograms of lithium batteries in the Port of Montreal.
"If you live in the area bounded by Rue Vimont, Rue Hochelaga, Avenue Haig and the St. Lawrence River, it is important for your health and safety to stay indoors, close doors and windows, and shut off ventilation systems," the city said in the notice Monday evening.
The order is in effect until further notice.
A large plume of smoke could be seen for kilometres around the port, located in the city’s east end.
A photo shared on social media shows smoke from a fire in the Port of Montreal on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (Source: X/@MoreauAgathe3)
Martin Guilbault, division chief of the Montreal fire service, said one firefighter was injured during the two-alarm blaze, adding the firefighter sustained a minor knee injury.
Due to the nature of the fire, firefighters chose a defensive method to combat it, he explained. They continually doused it with water rather than enter the container. This is a more gradual and safer way to extinguish the fire, he said.
About 50 residents were forced out of their homes due to the risk of breathing dangerous particles.
"Breathing some of the smoke is not that dangerous," Guilbault said, "but breathing it over a long period of time is."
Firefighters are expected to need several more hours to put out the blaze, Guilbault said at 8 p.m. The container was located on the ground outside in the port.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They're never going to see me cry': Michael Kovrig shares experience of more than 1,000 days in Chinese detainment
It's been exactly three years since Canadian Michael Kovrig returned to Canada after spending 1,019 days in a Chinese prison. Now, he's publicly speaking out about his arrest and detainment for the first time.
Cineplex ordered to pay $38.9M by Competition Tribunal in ticket fee case
Cineplex Inc. has been ordered to pay a record $38.9 million fine after the Competition Tribunal found the theatre owner guilty of deceptive marketing practices.
Is COVID XEC worse than other variants? Experts share what's known about the virus in Canada
While many Canadians no longer stress as much about COVID-19 as they did during its peak, health experts say a new variant has been spreading in some parts of the world and is now present in Canada.
Police investigating sudden death of 2-year-old boy in Cambridge, Ont.
Police say a toddler in Cambridge, Ont., who was reported missing early Monday morning, has since died.
Israeli strikes kill 492 in Lebanon's deadliest day of conflict since 2006
Israeli strikes on Lebanon Monday killed more than 490 people, including more than 90 women and children, Lebanese authorities said, in the deadliest barrage since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.
Calgary men guilty in multimillion-dollar fraud case involving B.C. RV resort
On Sept. 20, Justice R.E. Nation of the Alberta Court of King's Bench found Craig McMorran guilty of fraud, money laundering and stealing a cottage from its rightful owners.
WestJet ordered to pay passengers $2K after offering only $16 for flight diversion
B.C.’s Civil Resolution Tribunal has ordered WestJet to refund a family in full for their diverted flight and compensate them for associated costs.
Lockdown notice issued for residents near Port of Montreal due to lithium battery fire
The City of Montreal has issued a lockdown notice for residents in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough due to smoke from a fire in a container storing 15,000 kilograms of lithium batteries in the Port of Montreal.
Thousands of bones and hundreds of weapons reveal grisly insights into a 3,250-year-old battle
A new analysis of dozens of arrowheads is helping researchers piece together a clearer portrait of the warriors who clashed on Europe’s oldest known battlefield 3,250 years ago.