Eight fire companies responded to a mid-morning fire Friday at the Somerset Power Plant, along the Lake Ontario shore.
Flames and smoke were discovered at around 9:30 a.m. and fire crews were working into the afternoon to bring it under control.
The first fire companies responding were Barker, Olcott, Gasport, Hartland and Lyndonville. An ambulance from Olcott was also called in, along with a fire crew from the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station and three tanker trucks from Orleans County fire companies in Shelby, Ridgeway and Carlton.
Fire police from Wrights Corners blocked traffic on Lake Road, Route 18, between Hess and Hartland roads.
Niagara County Sheriff Michael J. Filicetti said the fire apparently started during some construction work and rubber burning may have been causing the heavy black smoke. An investigation is underway.
The coal-burning power plant ceased operations about two years ago. Its current owner, Beowulf Energy, announced plans for a cryptocurrency data mining plant last summer. An earlier proposal called for a 1,000-acre solar power facility at the site.
