SAN JOSE — Fire crews battled a blaze at a San Jose metals recycling and junkyard that sent a plume of dark smoke into the sky that was visible for miles on Saturday.
The fire erupted before 8 a.m. at Mega Metals & Iron, a scrap metals, recycling and junkyard but the San Jose Fire Department had gained the upper hand on the blaze soon after 9 a.m.
The blaze broke out on a site near the interchange of State Route 87 and Curtner Avenue a short distance from The Plant restaurant and retail complex.
Firefighters also evacuated a homeless encampment that had been established along railroad tracks next to the metal yard, said San Jose Fire Battalion Chief Dan Vega.
“There’s a lot of scrap metal in there and we had to get to the bottom of the pile to get the fire out,” Battalion Chief Vega said.
San Jose fire crews used construction excavation equipment to shift huge piles of scrap metal that were engulfed by the fire.
At the same time the excavator was moving the debris, firefighters pumped water into the piles of metal to douse hot spots beneath the mounds of material.
San Jose police blocked off multiple intersections near the fire.
For part of the morning, a plume of smoke soared above the blaze and was visible from miles away. The Fire Department only required a one-alarm response to combat and suppress the blaze, according to Vega.
The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately known, Vega said. No injuries were reported. No structures appeared to be involved.
The area where the fire broke out consists primarily of industrial and commercial properties and businesses, although residences are also in the vicinity. The owner of the metal scrap complex arrived at the scene of the fire during the morning.
“Some homeless individuals on the other side near the railroad tracks had to be evacuated,” Chief Vega said.
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