Fire breaks out on grounds of steel plant northeast of Montreal

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MONTREAL — A fire broke out early Sunday morning on the grounds of an ArcelorMittal industrial site in the Monteregie region of Quebec.

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The fire began around 4 a.m. among scrapped vehicles on the site, according to the city of Contrecoeur, where the company has several steel facilities. The community is located about 50 kilometres northeast of Montreal on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River.

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City spokesman Sylvain Latour said there were no injuries and the fire was under control by late morning, though the cause remains unknown. The buildings of the industrial site were unaffected, he said.

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The city says initial air quality analyses by the Quebec Environment Department do not show dangerous toxicity in Contrecoeur or the surrounding communities.

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Statements posted to the city’s website say a plume of smoke from the fire travelled toward municipalities bordering the Richelieu River. But no evacuations were ordered, and Latour said the smoke was almost gone by late morning.

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Latour said 40 firefighters were involved in the operation to put out the blaze, including some from neighbouring communities. Firefighters were turning over scrapped cars to make sure the flames were completely out, and they hoped the fire would be extinguished by late afternoon, he said.

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Earlier in the day, the city had advised people to stay inside if they were nearby, and to close windows and turn off ventilation systems if smoke reached the area.

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But Latour said those precautions were no longer necessary once the fire was under control, since smoke was no longer spreading.

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In a statement posted to Facebook, the nearby community of St.-Denis-sur-Richelieu said that no air quality issues had been reported. Still, the statement warned that children, seniors and those with asthma or heart problems “may experience discomfort.”

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ArcelorMittal has several facilities that form a large industrial site in Contrecoeur, including two steel plants and a steel recycling centre.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 20, 2025.

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