TAMPA, Fla. — A fire broke out Tuesday evening at a commercial scrap yard in the Drew Park area off Hillsborough Avenue in Tampa.
Firefighters were dispatched around 7:30 p.m. to Worldwide Scrap Metals on North Lois Avenue near Cayuga Street. First responders found a large pile of recycled metal was burning. They could seek smoke billowing into the sky over Tampa.
A witness at the scene said it was difficult to breathe.
"Firefighters made ground and aerial attacks to the pile," Tampa Fire Rescue wrote in an email. "Workers from the scrap metal yard used their excavator to assist in moving piles of the recycled metals for firefighters to attack the hotspots."
The flames were under control in about 45 minutes.
The business was not open at the time the fire began. So, luckily there were no injuries to any workers. No firefighters or bystanders were hurt either.
"TFR arson investigators were on scene and the cause is under investigation," the fire department wrote Tuesday night.
The situation created some traffic complications. Drivers were temporarily diverted off Lois Avenue while firefighters worked to extinguish the flames. For a period of time, Lois Avenue was shut down between Cayuga Street and West MLK Boulevard.