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
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
ByteDance prefers TikTok shutdown in U.S. if legal options fail, Reuters sources say
TikTok owner ByteDance would prefer to shut down its loss-making app rather than sell it if the Chinese company exhausts all legal options to fight legislation to ban the platform from app stores in the U.S., four sources said.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.