Minnesota crews battled a massive fire that erupted at a recycling facility for two hours Tuesday, preventing flames from spreading to nearby structures on the property.
St. Paul Fire Chief Roy Mokosso told KARE-TV that a full response of firefighters responded at around 11:30 a.m. to the blaze at Metro Metals Recycling, a facility near the city's border with Minneapolis. When crews arrived at the scene, they found a large pile of metal debris engulfed in flames and sending thick, black smoke into the air that could be seen miles away.
The burning metal pile was at least 500 feet from other structures on the property, and crews were able to keep the fire from spreading. Firefighters also wore their breathing masks at the scene to protect against possible toxic fumes the blaze might have been generating.
By 1:30 p.m., crews had the fire under control, according to KARE.