JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — All lanes of Philips Highway between Emerson Street and University Boulevard have reopened Thursday morning after a fire caused closures for hours, according to the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department.
The lane closures were due to a fire that happened at Jacksonville Metal Recycling, located at 4718 Philips Hwy. Lanes were shut down in both directions from the 4400 block to the 5000 block from 12:49 a.m. to around 6:30 a.m. Thursday, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
JFRD Captain Eric Prosswimmer told First Coast News that no structure was involved in the fire. He also said the fire was a "trash fire" where something in a pile caught fire, as nothing of monetary value was loss nor were any injuries reported.
A 3-alarm fire at the Jacksonville Metal Recycling facility on Dec. 19, 2021 caused the city to shut down parts of Philips Highway.
According to the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, firefighters responded to the facility at around 4:30 a.m. It is believed the fire was under a large pile of recycling metal before it was reported. No one was at the facility at the time nor was any building at the facility damaged, as the fire was isolated to the recycling materials, JFRD told First Coast News.
The fire department was concerned about possible fires being hidden under the pile of recyclable material. JFRD worked with the facility's owners to use machines to expose any hidden fires, though no other fires were reported.
As many as three engines from JFRD and about 70 firefighters responded. Firefighters were spraying the facility with about 3,000 - 4,000 gallons of water per minute.
JFRD requested the fire marshal to assist in the investigation.
Philips Highway was closed in both directions between Reba Avenue and University Boulevard.