Chilliwack firefighters battled a huge blaze at a local recycling facility Sunday morning.
Fire broke out just after midnight at Emterra recycling site in the 44000 block of Yale Road West.
Flames could be seen shooting more than 100 feet into the night sky as bales of cardboard and other material burned.
When firefighters arrived they found heavy smoke and fire coming from a large industrial building. Material was also on fire in the yard, which spread and caused significant damage to several transit buses in a neighbouring parking lot.
Due to the ferocity of the blaze, firefighters called in a second alarm. Eventually crews from Halls 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 were involved in the operation, which continued for 17 hours.
BC Transit confirmed Sunday morning that several transit vehicles were damaged during the fire. However, no routes are affected in Chilliwack, they assured, and they are assessing the damage.
“BC Transit is in progress of assessing the damage but an early estimate indicates 10 transit vehicles sustained damage. BC Transit is making every effort to ensure transit service continues with minimal impact to customers.”
A plan is already in place for replacements from the surrounding area to be used. If service is interrupted during that replacement plan, updates will be on the BC Transit website.
Chilliwack fire department says the fire is under investigation, but reports there were no civilian or firefighter injuries.
Watch theprogress.com for more information as it becomes available.
