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Residents of Montreal’s Mercier—Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough were advised to stay in their homes Monday evening because of a fire involving 15,000 kilograms of lithium batteries in the Port of Montreal.
The Montreal fire department has asked citizens in the affected area — bordered by Vimont St. to the southwest, Hochelaga Ave. to the northwest, Haig Ave. to the northeast and the St. Lawrence River to the southeast — to stay inside and close their windows. Notre-Dame St. was closed until 9:40 p.m.
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TVA reported the fire began around 3:15 p.m. in a container filled with the batteries.
The container on fire was in Section 62 near the Bossuet St. entrance. A container ship, identified by MarineTraffic.com as the Danish-flagged Vistula Maersk, was moored nearby.
By 9 p.m., the fire appeared to be under control, with the amount of smoke visible reducing. Port security were restricting access to the site and police on the outskirts were warning people about the risk to their health. A fire services representative on the scene said it was too early to give an update, but a person analyzing air quality said it was improving in the area.
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Thousands of Hydro-Québec customers in the area had their power cut as a safety measure, but power was restored to most by 9 p.m.
This story will be updated.
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