A large rubber recycling factory in Abbotsford, with a recent history of catching fire, went ablaze again on Saturday night.
Abbotsford Fire Rescue had difficulty battling this weekend's inferno due to challenges with rubber products and pallets getting in the way. Forklifts were required to remove the material, while the facility continued to light up the night sky and spew noxious black smoke for hours.
“Pretty tough access issues getting in,” said Dep. Chief Jeff Adams with the Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service. “We're not able to get trucks right in. So long lines of hose getting in. Then also with the pallets being stacked closely together it's very difficult."
Safety concerns over the toxic smoke obliged fire crews to keep the public blocks away.
A similar fire torched the rubber recycler on Industrial Avenue in December 2015.
Northwest Rubber Ltd. is one of the largest rubber manufacturers in the world, taking old tires, and making them into rubber products.
