Portland Fire & Rescue teams battled a significant debris fire at Schnitzer Steel's North Portland facility yesterday, an event that drew attention due to the dense smoke billowing into the sky. The fire, which erupted in a pile of industrial waste, called for an aggressive response from local fire crews.

The fire was reported just before 4 p.m. at the Schnitzer Steel facility located off North Lombard Street near Pier Park, necessitating a swift to assemble response from Portland's firefighters. According to KGW, the blaze was fueled by a large debris pile containing "combustible" mixed metals from an industrial shredder, which included petroleum products, foam, and upholstery.

Despite the challenging nature of the materials involved, the fire was declared extinguished at approximately 5:15 p.m. "This is an exterior debris pile with no structural involvement to the building, but due to the nature of the materials burning, the fire is producing a large volume of smoke," Lt. Laurent Picard of Portland Fire & Rescue explained, in a statement reported by KOIN 6 News.

Crews worked closely with on-site personnel, using the facility's excavation equipment, several hose lines, and water from various hydrants to control and fully to knock down the fire. Significant progress was made toward extinguishing the blaze, though it was anticipated to take additional time to completely subdue it. Throughout the ordeal, there were no injuries reported, as KPTV noted.