Firefighters in Kingston are battling a large fire at a local industrial facility that sent smoke billowing into the air, prompting some schools to shelter in place. According to the City of Kingston, firefighters were called to Kimco Steel on John Counter Boulevard at 8:40 a.m. on reports of a structure fire. Firefighters from other jurisdictions were called in to help with firefighting operations, and the Ministry of the Environment has been contacted, the city said. No one has been reported hurt. “Motorists should expect changing traffic conditions, including intermittent closures and delays, on John Counter Boulevard between Sir John A. Macdonald Boulevard and Lappan’s Lane. Please avoid the area,” the city said in a statement. The Limestone District School Board put some schools into shelter-in-place mode because of concerns about air quality. “Following consultation with Kingston Fire and Rescue, several Limestone schools in Kingston have been placed in Shelter-in-Place due to smoke from a local fire. All students and staff are safe,” the school board said in a letter to families. “During a Shelter-in-Place, students and staff remain indoors with doors and windows closed, while school operations continue as normal inside the building.” Kimco Steel is a new steel, scrap metal and recycling centre in Kingston’s Industrial Park, located about one kilometre south of Highway 401.
