Firefighters battle major blaze involving lithium batteries at Port of Montreal – Montreal [Video]

A lockdown advisory for residents in the Montreal’s east end was lifted after a major fire involving lithium batteries was brought under control by firefighters late Monday.

The advisory was issued after a fire broke out at a shipping container holding some 15,000 kilograms of lithium batteries around 2:45 p.m. at the Port of Montreal.

The Montreal fire department first reported it was responding to a blaze at 3:15 p.m., with the intervention lasting through the night.

“Due to the amount of energy that these batteries store, it took us quite a while to extinguish the fire,” Matthew Griffith, the fire department’s section chief, said in an interview Tuesday.

“The fire was extinguished around 3 this morning.”

In the early evening, the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve asked residents in the affected area to stay inside and keep their windows closed due to heavy smoke from the blaze. Those within the designated area were also urged to turn off any ventilation as a precaution.