Scrapyard fire near Port Manatee under investigation

PALMETTO, Fla. - Officials are trying to determine what caused a scrapyard to go up in smoke on Saturday. 

According to Manatee County Director of Public Safety Jacob Saur, crews from the North River Fire Department were dispatched to a fire at the Port Manatee Scrap Metal facility, located at 13838 Harllee Road Palmetto,  just north of Sea Port Manatee around 10:30 a.m.

Once on scene, they asked for additional resources and crews from Sarasota, Hillsborough and other Manatee County fire departments. They also asked for the city of Tampa to send down its foam semi-trailer.

As of 2 p.m. on Saturday, the fire was 25 percent contained. However, it did spread past the main area, exposing some storage yards and some train trailers owned by CSX. Manatee County officials expect it to burn into the evening, but are hopeful the foam semi-trailer from Tampa will be able to douse the blaze.

It is unclear what sparked the fire, but officials say the scrapyard is made up of various metals, plastics and other materials.

Courtesy: Tom Collier

"Anything metal gets recycled here and the process that they do on-site grinding up these vehicles, grinding up this metal and creating basically fuel," stated Assistant Fire Chief Joe Sicking. 

Manatee County officials say any type of smoke is toxic, but winds are keeping the smoke high off the ground and no residents have been affected by the fire. The Manatee County Jail is nearby and officials say they are on lockdown to protect their health.

Courtesy: Manatee County Government

US 41 also remains open as of Saturday afternoon, but if the smoke should fall closer to the ground, the road will be shut down.

The scrapyard was in operation when the fire began with a small amount of staff working inside. Officials say the employees are still on-site helping crews get to limited access points.

Courtesy: Manatee County Government

Saur said a no-fly zone has been established for a half-mile radius surrounding Sea Port Manatee and the fire itself due to smoke in the air.

About 50 firefighters and additional emergency services personnel worked to put out the fire.