Port of Montreal container fire brought under control

A fire in a container at one of the Port of Montreal's terminals prompted the city to issue a containment notice for the area adjacent to the port on Monday evening, in the Mercier--Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough.

The situation was back to normal by Tuesday morning.

The precautionary lockdown notice, which had been put in place in the early evening, was lifted at around 10:30 p.m.

On its Facebook page, the City of Montreal said that the fire was now under control.

Although the response could still take a few hours, the tests carried out confirm that no toxic substances have been detected in the smoke plume. "There is no longer any danger to the health and safety of the public," the city's post stated.

During the night of Monday to Tuesday, Montreal firefighters (SIM) continued their operations and were finally able to tackle the inside of the container, which contained batteries.

On Tuesday morning, the SIM reported that there was almost no smoke at the scene. The SIM is now awaiting the arrival of a specialist clean-up team to take charge of the batteries.

"The containment notice has been lifted, and the situation in the port has been restored. The incident, concentrated on one container, has caused no known damage at this stage," said the Port of Montreal on its Facebook page on Tuesday morning.

At around 3:15 p.m. on Monday, in a post on the X social network, SIM announced that its hazardous materials response team was responding to the intersection of Bossuet and Notre-Dame East.

The Mercier--Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough then posted a message on its Facebook page asking people living between rue Vimont, rue Hochelaga, avenue Haig and the St. Lawrence River to stay indoors and close their doors and windows, as well as their ventilation systems, as a precautionary measure.

At around 7:50 p.m., the publication was updated to ask anyone who smelt or saw the plume of smoke to do the same.

Montreal police (SPVM) officers were also called to the scene to assist the firefighters.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 24, 2024.