Gainesville and Hall County firefighters battled a debris blaze Sunday afternoon at the Gainesville Waste and Recycling yard on Old County Dump Road.

The blaze, which encompassed a 100-foot by 200-foot area in the open yard, was first reported at about 2:30 p.m.

Several piles of construction debris were on fire, according to Gainesville fire spokesman Keith Smith, and Georgia State Patrol was called in for backup.

Smith said fire trucks on the scene had difficulty accessing the site where the fires were raging.

State patrol assisted with a helicopter unit equipped to pull water from a nearby retention pond to pour over the blaze.

Firefighters and the helicopter left Sunday evening, turning the scene over to the property owner, who had crews continuing to work at the smoldering site. Smoke wafted through town into the night.

The cause of the fire is under investigation and there were no reports of injuries.