Junkyard near 16th Street and Broadway on fire

A plume of dark smoke was visible throughout central Phoenix Sunday evening. 

A junkyard or scrapyard located near 16th Street and Broadway Road is on fire, the Phoenix Fire Department wrote on Twitter. 

The fire started around 6:30 p.m., according to Captain Rob McDade, public information officer with the Phoenix Fire Department.

McDade said the department doesn’t believe anyone was present at the time the fire began. The department is not yet sure what the name of the business is, he said.

The fire was five times larger when crews arrived, he said. The main issue with fighting the junkyard fire is access; junkyards can be several acres large, and there’s not a paved access road to get in, he said.

Investigators on the scene believe the fire may have been caused by spontaneous combustion, McDade said. With temperatures heating up, the oil and tar at scrapyards make them more susceptible to fire. 

"This one will be our first of many this summer," McDade said. 

The heat also poses challenges to firefighters at the scene. There were more than 30 firefighters on the scene at 7:15 p.m., McDade said. 

"We have to make sure we are cycling them through," he said, adding each firefighter wears about 60 lbs of gear. 

There has been damage to cars and other scrap materials in the yard, McDade said, but the department said surrounding houses or businesses are not threatened. There have been no injuries reported. 

This is a developing story. Check azcentral.com for updates.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.