A large rubbish fire before dawn today forced Buffalo fire officials to call for three alarms and summon the Edward M. Cotter fire boat to help put out the blaze.
Firefighters responded to the 4:33 a.m. alarm at Gerdau Ameristeel Corp., at 776 Ohio St., north of the Tifft Nature Preserve. Fire officials described the site as a steel-recycling center and scrap yard.
The laying of large 5-inch water lines forced police and fire officials to close the Michigan Avenue and Ohio Street lift bridges, along with part of Ganson Street, through the morning rush hour.
The cause remains under investigation, and one firefighter was taken to a local hospital with an injury described as relatively minor.
Fire officials listed a zero damage estimate, although firefighters remained on the scene through mid-afternoon.
Another two-alarm fire at the same address caused more than $300,000 damage in April 1998. At the time, the company was called Co-Steel Recycling, according to news reports then.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
