Firefighters battle large fire at Alter Metal Recycling on La Crosse’s north side
The thick black smoke from hundreds of cars burning in a scrap yard could be seen for miles.
LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) – A large fire broke out at Alter Metal Recycling on La Crosse’s north side late Friday afternoon, News 8 Now’s Martha Koloski confirms.
The thick black smoke from hundreds of cars burning in a scrap yard could be seen for miles.
Crews used an aerial ladder on one truck to get high above the fire, while a second crew fought the fire from the opposite direction.
The combination of the wind and scrap material meant this situation had the potential to become very dangerous.
Fire officials estimated that at least 100 cars were on fire at one point.
Several thousand gallons per minute were needed to control the fire that took nearly two hours to control.
“We are working in conjunction with Alter Scrap Metal and their heavy equipment to take apart the piles of cars to get all the hot spots,” says Battalion Chief Jeff Schott of the La Crosse Fire Department.
One adjacent businesses was evacuated with another company to the north opting to shelter employees inside due to heavy smoke.
A total of 24 firefighters were at the incident. The fire department was assisted by the La Crosse Police, Tri-State Ambulance, Xcel Energy, La Crosse County Emergency Dispatch, and the Salvation Army.
Xcel Energy was also called to shut down the powerlines that stretch over the scrap yard to prevent an additional hazard. Those lines will have to be inspected before they are turned back on.
The cause of the fire still has to be determined.
All employees are accounted for and no injuries were reported.
Fire officials said they did not believe there was any damage to nearby buildings.
The Holmen and Shelby Fire Departments assisted by providing coverage on the north and south sides of lacrosse during the incident.
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