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Phoenix fire crews contain first-alarm fire at scrap metal recycling plant

Posted at 1:59 PM, Nov 17, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-17 20:38:11-05

Fire crews are currently at a Phoenix recycling plant fighting a first-alarm fire.

Crews arrived on scene Thursday afternoon to a large debris fire near 35th Avenue and Broadway Road.

The Phoenix Fire Department says this is a defensive fire at a scrap metal yard and its goal was to protect any exposed structures.

Crews announced they had brought the fire under control around 3:15 Thursday afternoon.

Firefighters coordinated with crane operators at the facility to move large pieces of metal, allowing for water to be sprayed directly on the source of the fire, according to a spokesman.

During that operation, one of the department's ladder trucks was hit by a crane. The crew was uninjured, but had to come down from the ladder, firefighters said.

There were three firefighters in the bucket at the time. 

"That crew was rocked back and forth, luckily for us it was a near miss, that's a near miss for us, where it could have been catastrophic, those crews declared a may-day," said Captain Rob McDade with the department. 

Officials said they expected the fire to be extinguished soon.

The situation is still developing. Check back for more details.