A fire tore through a salvage yard in Milford Township on Tuesday afternoon, sending massive clouds of dark smoke into the sky and prompting a multi-agency response that shut down part of Childs Lake Road. The blaze was reported at approximately 1:45 p.m. near Buno Road and Childs Lake Road, according to a Milford police officer cited by the seed reporting.
Firefighters from multiple communities battled the flames, according to The Oakland Press, which also reported that police diverted traffic on Buno Road at the railroad crossing west of Charms Road while crews worked the scene. The fire was also confirmed near the same intersection of Buno Road and Childs Lake Road by ClickOnDetroit, which reported that Milford Township police were on scene as firefighters responded.
Smoke from the fire blew east and was visible in Wixom, miles from the salvage yard itself, per the Oakland Press reporting. The Oakland Press said it had reached out to the Milford Police Department and planned to report further details as they became available. A photograph accompanying that outlet's coverage was credited to Aileen Wingblad/MediaNews Group.
Mutual Aid Pours In From Neighboring Departments
The response drew firefighting resources from beyond Milford Township itself. The Lyon Township Fire Department said it was providing mutual aid with a tanker for the fire, according to WXYZ, which also described the scene as a large fire at a recycling facility in the township.
The cause of the fire and the extent of the damage had not been confirmed as of ClickOnDetroit's report Tuesday. Injury information varied between outlets covering the incident: ClickOnDetroit reported that information about whether anyone was hurt was not immediately available, while the Oakland Press reported that no injuries had been reported as of approximately 2:45 p.m., attributing that detail to a Milford police officer.
Roadways Closed As Crews Worked The Scene
Childs Lake Road was shut down in Milford Township as firefighters battled the blaze, compounding the traffic diversion already underway on Buno Road at the railroad crossing west of Charms Road. Those closures left area drivers navigating detours during the Tuesday afternoon response.
Salvage yard fires have challenged Milford-area fire crews before. A separate blaze broke out at an auto salvage yard near Milford in December 2014, drawing firefighters from several departments, according to CBS Detroit. A nearby worker at that earlier fire described thick black smoke billowing down the road for about half a mile, the station reported at the time.
No further details on the cause, damage, or official injury determination for Tuesday's fire had been confirmed as of the latest reporting. Hoodline will update this story as more information becomes available.
