Photo: Contributed

This photo sent in by a Castanet Kamloops reader shows a fire burning Tuesday morning along the CP Rail tracks in Valleyview.

UPDATE: 2:28 p.m.

Rail traffic is once again moving on the CP Rail tracks in Valleyview following a fire Tuesday at a recycling plant along the South Thompson River.

The blaze at Emterra Environmental on Kelly Douglas Road broke out just after 11 a.m.

According to the City of Kamloops, the fire is now classified as held and some equipment is being removed from the scene.

The city said some fire crews will remain on scene for cleanup.

UPDATE: 1:22 p.m.

Firefighters say a blaze Tuesday at a recycling plant in Valleyview has now been contained, but it will take some time before it’s fully extinguished.

Emergency crews were called to Emterra on Kelly Douglas Road just after 11 a.m. The fire sent a plume of black smoke into the air above Valleyview.

At 12:45 p.m., KFR said in a post on social media that the blaze was contained to recycling materials outside Emterra and that work on getting the fire extinguished “will take some time yet.”

UPDATE: 11:59 a.m.

A large fire pumping a cloud of black smoke into the air above Valleyview drew a number of onlookers late Tuesday morning.

One witness told Castanet Kamloops she was in a drive-thru across the highway when she saw “the flames start.”

Another woman said she hopes police look into the possibility that the blaze was sparked by someone associated with a nearby homeless camp.

“A lot of homeless people set up camps in there,” she said, referencing the riverbank.

“If you go all the way down Vicars right down to the river, there’s a whole encampment in there — a whole bicycle chop shop.”

A number of high school students were also present. A group of them told Castanet they saw the smoke and ran to see what was on fire.

UPDATE: 11:44 a.m.

Trains along the Canadian Pacific Rail line in Valleyview are being stopped as firefighters battle a blaze outside a recycling plant.

Kamloops Fire Rescue crews were called to the Kelly Douglas Road facility just after 11 a.m. Tuesday for a report of a fire.

According to KFR, the blaze is burning in cardboard and vegetation outside the building and has not spread to any structures.

KFR said crews are on scene fighting the fire and trains on the nearby track have been ordered stopped.

This story will be updated as more becomes known.

Do you have photos or video, or do you know how the fire started? Call the Castanet Kamloops newsroom at 778-376-2151 or email [email protected].

ORIGINAL STORY: 11:35 a.m.

Firefighters are battling a blaze Tuesday morning at a recycling facility along the South Thompson River in Valleyview.

Emergency crews were called to the Emterra Environmental building on Kelly Douglas Road just after 11 a.m. for a report of a fire.

The blaze is sending a cloud of black smoke into the air, visible from many parts of the city.

Castanet Kamloops has a reporter at the scene. This story will be updated as more information becomes known.