Fire at east London vehicle lot blackens sky with smoke

An intense fire at an east London vehicle yard sent a large pillar of black smoke into the sky that could be seen from kilometres away late Monday morning.

The fire broke out at 86 Clarke Road — next to the intersection of Clarke and Gore Roads — just before noon, according to the London Fire Department.

No injuries had been reported in the immediate aftermath of the blaze.

It's unclear how the fire started, but it engulfed a small brick structure and an adjacent storage structure before crews arrived to extinguish the fire.

The surrounding area largely consists of tow yards, auto wreckers, vehicle repair and sales businesses, and self-storage businesses.

The fire crews began clearing the scene roughly two hours after the call initially came in.

Damage is estimated at $200,000, and investigators are now working to determine the origin and cause of the fire.