London fire crews tackling large barn, grass fire in southeast London, Ont.
London fire crews are currently tackling a "large grass fire and working barn fire" in the southeast section of the city Tuesday afternoon and are asking the public to avoid the area.
According to a tweet from the London Fire Department (LFD), crews were dispatched to the area of Old Victoria Road and Wilton Grove Road, located near Highway 401, due to multiple 9-1-1 calls of a large blaze at a barn.
Upon arrival, large flames and heavy plumes of smoke could be seen.
Fire crews said they are “attacking the fire defensively," as the roof was collapsing in on itself.
According to London fire, a number of factors are contributing to the size of the blaze.
"A lot of hay in that area, so I think at this time there's no animals in this barn. It's a lot of hay, so that's a lot of combustibles in there that have sparked such a large fire in that barn so quickly," explained LFD Platoon Chief Kirk Loveland. "Now all the other areas around it are being protected. We've had a couple of things breached but they're not a flammable product so there is no concern as far as hazardous material goes at this time."The London Fire Department is currently on scene of a large barn and grass fire in the southeast part of the city on March 28, 2023. (Jim Knight/CTV News London)
In the meantime, the London Police Service is asking the public to avoid the area of Old Victoria Road between Wilton Grove Road and Discovery Drive, which is currently closed.
As of early Tuesday evening, fire crews were in the process of protecting other buildings on site, including one containing cattle.
By Tuesday evening London fire said in an update that they remain on scene and that two backhoes are pulling the fire scene apart. They said they'll continue to be on scene for some time to come due to spot fires "that continue to burn."
No injuries have been reported.
The cause of the blaze and estimated cost of damages currently remains unknown.
"Our thanks to [Central Elgin Fire Rescue] and Thames Centre Fire for mutual aid assistance," London fire wrote on Twitter.
This is a developing story
— With files from CTV News London's Jim Knight
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.