It’s believed a large pile of hay was deliberately set ablaze on Saturday night in Plympton-Wyoming, producing thick smoke that forced the closure of a section of Lakeshore Road.

Firefighters from the Camlachie and Wyoming stations responded to Lakeshore Road near Cullen Drive at around 11:30 p.m.

Fire Chief Steve Clemens said no structures were impacted by the blaze and damage is estimated at about $10,000.

“Unfortunately this is a suspicious fire,” said Clemens. “The straw was dry, and was stored properly. So, there are no signs that this should have self-ignited.”

Chief Clemens said firefighters and contractors were battling the fire until the early morning hours Sunday.

“I had contractors there until approximately 6 p.m. on Sunday, then again 12 hours later we had some hot sports reignite. The straw had to be spread out. We had a backhoe and a tractor out there spreading the straw for over 14 hours on Sunday,” he said.

A section of Lakeshore Road was closed for a couple of hours due to poor visibility and intense smoke entering a residential subdivision to the north.