Heavy black smoke from recycling yard fire wafts into Burnaby, Richmond, Vancouver

Thick black smoke was noted in several Metro Vancouver cities as it wafted from a Richmond recycling yard Wednesday.

The smoke commuters encountered in Burnaby and South Vancouver, including over the Knight Street Bridge during rush hour, was from a fire on Mitchell Island.

Firefighters were called to the blaze at around 4 p.m., after a large pile of recycled auto parts caught fire.

It was difficult for crews to put out the fire because of the products and the hot, dry weather.

Eventually they were able to put out the fire, the cause of which remains under investigation.