Black smoke billows from London, Ont. rail tie fire

Black smoke from a rail tie fire on Elias Street was captured on the CTV News London tower camera on June 1, 2026. (CTV News)

Fire crews attended the scene of a blaze in east London, Ont. Monday afternoon after receiving multiple 911 calls.

London fire responded just after 4:30 p.m. to the incident on Elias Street, seeing smoke and flames from a distance. Officials say railway ties coated with oil base preservative was engulfed in flames, resulting in the black smoke.

“Crews responded within four minutes, did a great job to prevent any spread to nearby businesses or railway cars,” Deputy Chief Gary Bridge told CTV News.

No injuries were reported, but firefighters are expected to remain on scene well into Monday evening.