Large fire breaks out near Oak Street Bridge in Richmond, B.C.

Thick black smoke billowed above Richmond, B.C., after a hearth broke out within the north of the town Thursday night. 

Richmond Hearth-Rescue mentioned crews attended an industrial constructing close to the River Rock On line casino Resort at round 9 p.m. PT.

“[Firefighters] arrived to see heavy smoke and flames popping out of the constructing,” mentioned Grant Wyenberg, assistant deputy chief of operations with Richmond Hearth-Rescue.

“They bought water on it fairly rapidly and knocked down the hearth fairly rapidly however there was some extension onto the trestle bridge simply to the north of there,” mentioned Wyenberg.

The Metro Vancouver Regional District mentioned in a submit on X, previously Twitter, that an outdated rail bridge caught hearth and was inflicting black smoke. The district issued an air high quality bulletin, asking anybody with shortness of breath, chest discomfort, extreme coughing or dizziness to hunt medical assist. 

The fireplace had been extinguished as of Friday morning, in response to the Metro Vancouver Regional District.

“This morning we might be reviewing air high quality info and updating our air high quality bulletin as applicable,” the district mentioned on social media.

Wyenberg mentioned it isn’t clear how the hearth started. 

He mentioned he suspected the burning bridge was lined in creosote, a wood-tar preservative, which was producing the heavy black smoke, which might be seen from many areas of Vancouver to the north. 

DriveBC mentioned on X that the hearth affected visitors on the Oak Road Bridge, which connects Richmond and Vancouver.

Operations at Vancouver Worldwide Airport, situated round two kilometres west of the hearth, weren’t affected, the airport mentioned in a press release on X. 

Que Gardner, a customer from Jacksonville, Fla., mentioned he was within the on line casino when the hearth broke out.

“Earlier than I knew it, all the things was on hearth over right here, and it slowly labored its manner down,” he mentioned.

Jacob Joseph mentioned he noticed the hearth from close to Lansdowne Park. He cycled from his dwelling close by to see the supply of the smoke.

“I am shaken up,”  he mentioned. “I’ve by no means seen something like this in Richmond.”