1 person injured as 3-alarm Hunting Park junkyard fire causes evacuations and shelter-in-place order

HUNTING PARK - Philadelphia fire crews battled a three-alarm fire that broke out in a junkyard on Tuesday afternoon. 

Authorities say the fire erupted on the 500 block of West Annsbury Street in the city's Hunting Park section. 

SKYFOX flew over the fire, which sent plumes of smoke into the air of nearby streets. 

According to the Philadelphia Fire Department, drivers were asked to avoid the area of 5th and Hutchinson Streets.

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The fire was raised to two and then three alarms, requiring additional crews to respond. 

There was so much smoke, officials said, smoke alarms went off inside nearby homes.

In an update late Wednesday afternoon, fire officials announced one civilian injury, due to smoke inhalation. That person was taken to a nearby hospital and is expected to recover, noting the injury was minor.

They went on to say the junkyard was an all-automobile junkyard. There is a 300 gallon gas tank on scene, that, while not full, provided firefighters an enhanced urgency to gaining control of the fire, as the danger of the tank being exposed to the flames was great. They felt confident by the late afternoon that the tank was no longer a danger to the situation, but were carefully monitoring the scene.

The fire department saw approximately 120 members respond to the blaze. They were able to place the fire under control by about 6 p.m.

Nearby residents were asked to shelter in place, but that advisory was lifted once the fire was placed under control. The Philadelphia Health Department and Philadelphia OEM were monitoring the air for possible contaminants, though initial tests saw nothing in the air that was harmful. However, vulnerable residents were cautioned to stay indoors and not breath the outside air, if there was a possible risk to their health.

As the fire burned next door, patients from the Esperanza Health Center evacuated. Officials at the center say they’ve been concerned about the junkyard for years.

"We tried to petition the city and others to do something about the junkyard and this is exactly what we thought would happen," explained Executive Director Susan Post.