London crews clear fire at east London chicken processing plant

London firefighters responded to an early morning fire Monday at a chicken processing plant in an east London industrial park.

Fire crews were called to the Cargill plant located at 10 Cuddy Blvd. just before 5:30 a.m. after maintenance staff noticed smoke in the building. The plant was not operating at the time.

After arriving, firefighters had to contend with heavy smoke that was contained to one section of the building. Firefighters used an aerial ladder hose to attack the fire from above. 

"There was heavy flames and heavy smoke upon arrival and initially they went into defensive mode to knock down the fire," Platoon Chief Kirk Loveland told CBC News. "We were then able to gain entry into the building and extinguish the fire. And it was contained to one area of the building."

There were no injuries. Loveland said the cause of the fire remains under investigation. 

As of 9 a.m. Monday, crews were clearing smoke from the building. 

"They're ventilating the building to determine the cause," he said.