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Summerside’s police and fire departments are telling residents in one area of the city to shelter in place.
People who live along South Drive, from MacKenzie Drive to Bayview Drive, should stay inside because of an active fire at the nearby solar farm.
Firefighters and police are at the scene.
City officials say people should stay inside and avoid the area, close their windows and doors and turn off ventilation systems that draw air in from the outside.
JP Desrosiers, the city’s chief administrative officer, said it is a “relatively small fire” in one of the battery banks at the solar farm. Officials believe it started around 5:30 a.m.
Summerside police and fire officials issued a shelter in place warning after a fire at Summerside’s solar farm. (Shane Hennessey/CBC)
“Crews are on scene, they have been for quite a while containing the fire,” he said.
Desrosiers said the shelter in place order was issued “out of an abundance of caution.”
“With any battery fire, there can be toxins in terms of smoke in the area,” he said. “Luckily, right now with the weather being what it is, relatively decent winds out of the west blowing smoke in the opposite direction, and obviously rain dampening the movement of the smoke, it’s certainly more contained.”
The city later closed South Drive from Greenwood Drive to Putters Street.
Officials said people should also keep pets inside. Anyone who lives outside the area should avoid travelling near there because of the potential for fumes, city officials said.
“Stay cozy inside on a morning like this until fire crews get the fire contained,” said Desrosiers.