Debris pile ignites large fire at St. Petersburg scrap yard

St. Petersburg Fire Rescue crews were fighting a large fire Thursday afternoon at a scrap yard on 30th Avenue North, officials said.

The blaze erupted about 2 p.m. at Aceros America St. Pete, a scrap metal recycling facility located at 2550 30th Ave. N. in St. Petersburg, said Ashlie Handy, a spokesperson with the fire rescue agency.

Employees at the facility told 911 dispatchers that a large debris pile had caught fire in the back of the lot. It started small, and employees attempted to put it out with fire extinguishers before the fire grew, Handy said.

At 2:30 p.m., the blaze was still raging but was contained to the scrap yard, she said. Multiple firefighter crews, five fire engines and two ladder trucks were at the scene trying to keep the fire from spreading to nearby buildings and residential neighborhoods.

A fire investigator was on scene but could not determine the cause until crews suppressed the flames.

Handy said debris piled up at the lot likely came from homes damaged during hurricanes Helene and Milton.

"It wouldn't be crazy to think that something was dropped off here that you know shouldn't have been," she said. "We don't know yet."