Montreal issues air quality warning from scrapyard fire in east end

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MONTREAL — A scrapyard fire in Montreal’s east end has led to preventive lockdowns of all health facilities in the area.

Montreal’s public health department issued an air quality alert after an outdoor vehicle-recycling plant caught fire early this morning near Highway 40.

Anik Vaillancourt with the city’s fire department says 24 fire trucks and 55 firefighters were dispatched to control the fire, which was still burning by 11 a.m.

Quebec’s Environment Department says it thinks the fire was caused by a lithium battery and spread to piles of scrap metal.

It adds that the fire was contained to the scrapyard though thick clouds of black smoke spread an acrid smell across the city and the Montérégie area.

The department’s emergency team locked down all health facilities in the area as a preventive measure.

According to the IQAir website, the air quality near Highway 40 in Montreal is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2026.

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