North Bay Fire Chief Jason Whiteley tells BayToday that exploding aerosol cans and bottles of chlorine fuelled a transport truck fire on Algonquin Ave. early this morning.
"It was a mixed cargo of paint, car and pool supplies," he said late Wednesday afternoon.
The call came in around 2:30 a.m. for the accident that occurred opposite the Sobey's grocery store. The trailer portion of the vehicle was fully in flames, with minor explosions coming from the aerosol spray cans.
"We heard several popping," added Whiteley.
The transport was carrying 4,000 pounds of hazardous materials including pool chemicals, which is why a concern for the safety of the surrounding residents came in.
"Chlorine intensifies a fire and produces chlorine gas," explained the Chief.
Fortunately, the prevailing wind was blowing the smoke away from nearby homes and into the direction of the plaza. Fire crews checked the stores and found them empty except for a night crew working there. They were safely evacuated.
Whiteley believes the fire started inside the cargo portion of the truck.
He says the damage is so extensive that they may never know what actually caused the blaze.
OPP say the driver of the truck was not injured.
