Portion of Carolina Beach Road closed

Part of Carolina Beach Road is closed this afternoon, because of a fire at a junkyard. Heavy smoke is blanketing much of the area.

From the North, traffic is being diverted to Sanders Road. From the South, traffic is being directed onto Myrtle Grove Road.

Fire crews are on the scene of an intense blaze that sent one firefighter to the hospital.

The fire started in a scrap yard along the 6200 block of Carolina Beach Road around 1:30 this afternoon.

It burned several acres of woods. But did not threaten any homes. Officials say the owner of Cribb's Hobby Shop was cutting the rims out of tires with an electric saw, when sparks ignited a pile of tires, and an old car nearby.

Because rubber tires emit toxic chemicals when they burn, officials will be calling in the EPA to assess air quality.

Right now, the fire is under control, but officials had to close Carolina Beach Road in both directions for several hours, creating headaches for drivers. We'll continue to follow this developing story.