PALMETTO, Fla. — Firefighters have spent hours working to put out a massive fire at a scrap metal yard near Port Manatee.
North River Fire District responded to the scrap yard located at 13838 Harllee Road around 12 p.m. Friday.
Action Air 1 flew over the scene multiple times and captured thick plumes of black and gray smoke rising from a massive mound of crushed debris containing hundreds of vehicles.
According to the North River Fire District,crews worked to put out a massive fire at the same location on April 9, 2022.
Reporter Lydia Vazques arrived at the scene and heard multiple explosions.
Multiple agencies came to render mutual aid to the North River Fire Department.
Marshall Andrell Miller believes the fire was the result of a car still containing combustible liquids being dropped on top of a pile of cars.
Thick black smoke could be seen from across the bay area.
"We were wondering how big it is because we can tell from far away that it's looking really big. We're kind of comparing it against the cranes that are there, you can see from that far," Marcel Nicorici, told us he saw the smoke from St. Pete.
The smoke is said to be blowing away from residential areas and the nearby Manatee County Jail.
It is taking a lot of manpower to move the debris around so firefighters can try to find the source of the fire, according to NRFD.
Firefighters used a combination of water and foam to put out the flames.
At this time, there are no evacuations or travel delays on nearby US-41.
