Melbourne metal yard fire under control

A fire at a metal recycling yard that blanketed Melbourne's western suburbs in toxic smoke is under control and nearby residents have been given the all clear to go outside.

Residents in a wide area across Melbourne's west were warned to stay indoors and avoid contact with the acrid smoke billowing from the fire, which erupted at Sims Metal in Brooklyn at 4.40pm on Monday.

The fire remained out of control well into the night.

The Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) issued a watch and act message, warning residents of Altona Gate, Braybrook, Sunshine, Sunshine West, Tottenham and West Footscray near the fire in McDonald Road to avoid going outdoors, shut their windows and turn off air-conditioning.

The fire was in a large pile of metal that included car bodies and discarded gas cylinders.

The MFB gave an all clear message at 6am on Tuesday, declaring the fire safe.

A crane and excavator were used to pull apart the smouldering scrap pile to allow fire crews to get to the seat of the blaze.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.