Exploding aerosol cans fuelled transport fire in North Bay

North Bay's fire chief said exploding aerosol cans and bottles of chlorine fuelled a large transport truck fire on a city street early this morning.

"It was a mixed cargo of paint, car and pool supplies," Chief Jason Whiteley told BayToday, a sister site of SooToday, on Wednesday afternoon.

The initial call came in around 2:30 a.m. for the blaze, which occurred opposite a Sobeys grocery store. The trailer portion of the vehicle was already fully engulfed in flames, with minor explosions coming from the aerosol spray cans.

"We heard several popping," Whiteley said. 

The transport was carrying 4,000 pounds of hazardous materials, including pool chemicals, which is why there were safety concerns for the surrounding residents.

"Chlorine intensifies a fire and produces chlorine gas," the Chief explained. 

Fortunately, the prevailing wind was blowing the smoke away from nearby homes and toward the plaza. Fire crews checked the stores and found them empty, except for a night crew working there. They were safely evacuated.

Whiteley believes the fire started inside the cargo portion of the truck.

He says the damage is so extensive they may never know what actually caused the blaze.

OPP say the driver of the truck was not injured.

See: Transport explosion still creating traffic chaos