Burning Scrap Metal Pile Visible Across The Area

Green Shift companies responded to a large scrap metal fire at 2912 South Market Street on Tuesday morning. The call came in at 8:14 AM on 10/17/23 to Gerdau Metals Recycling in Alton Park. Market Street had to be closed for fire hoses to provide a water supply. The initial fire company was dispatched to what 911 thought was a vehicle on fire. Firefighters arrived to find multiple vehicles on fire within a scrap yard and then full commercial response was initiated. Tires, fuel, debris and other material inside the scrap cars fueled the flames. Two excavators picked apart the burning 40-foot tall pile of vehicles and two master streams flowed water. By 11 AM, the fire was out. A cutting torch ignited the blaze when personnel at the business were working in the scrapyard. There were no injuries. Smoke from the fire was highly visible across the area, including Chattanooga, Fort Oglethorpe and beyond. Ladder 1, Quint 1, Squad 1, Quint 14, Ladder 5, Engine 5, Engine 9, Battalion 1, Battalion 3, CFD’s Training Staff, CFD’s Drone Unit, Hamilton County Rehab, CPD, and HCEMS were on this scene.

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