Click Here to View WFTV Slideshow
APOPKA, Fla. --
A fire broke out at an Apopka junkyard overnight. It took firefighters about three hours to put it out, but for a while things looked pretty dramatic.
The fiery heap was a pile of recycled auto parts. When firefighters arrived on scene, they said, flames were about 25 feet off the ground and the area was very smoky.
"As soon as they came down Apopka Boulevard, they saw the flames and that's when they knew they had a fire," said Rick Seagrest, Orange County Fire Department.
By daybreak, the fire was contained and conditions were only hazy. Firefighters said it shouldn't have caused too much of a problem.
The gas tank in the cars on the pile did pose a danger to firefighters and several small explosions could be heard as some blew up.
"You know you're going to have gas tanks, different kinds of tanks piled in there. We can't see the bottom of the pile, of course, so we don't know what's going on," Seagrest said.
Firefighters did face a couple of problems tackling the fire. They initially responded to a call for smoke and sent just one truck. They also faced a few delays getting into a locked gate and also getting water from the trucks, because the nearest hydrant is about three quarters of a mile away.
"The crews work this area. They know they didn't have any water. That's why they immediately called for two tankers," Seagrest said.
By morning, the fire was out and crews were keeping an eye on things.
News stories provided by third parties are not edited by "Site Publication" staff. For suggestions and comments, please click the Contact link at the bottom of this page.
