A four-alarm fire broke out Wednesday afternoon at a paper recycling plant on St-Patrick St. in Cote St-Paul, leaving a large plume of dark, billowing smoke visible from all over the city.
Approximately 125 firefighters attempted to get the blaze under control at Compagnie de recyclage de papier de Montréal Inc. at 3820 St-Patrick.
Neighbouring buildings were evacuated as a precaution, and one abandoned building right next door briefly had its roof catch fire, said Montreal fire department chief of operations Frédéric Paquet.
The fire was still burning as of 9:30 p.m., though it was largely under control, Paquet said. A second wave of firefighters was sent in to relieve the first shift at around 9 p.m.
The heat of the fire coupled with the muggy weather conditions led to five firefighters being treated for heat stroke.
The 60,000 square foot building was destroyed. Not only was it filled with paper, everything but the supporting posts and the floor was made of wood, including the roof.
This video was submitted to MyNews by viewer Reb Frost:
