Hundreds of workers were evacuated and thousands of motorists inconvenienced yesterday when a fire in an industrial rubbish yard blanketed Fyshwick in thick black smoke. Two helicopters water-bombed the intense blaze as firefighters on the ground battled strong wind and temperatures at record levels. Businesses in Gladstone, Newcastle and Pirie streets were evacuated around 2pm and police set up an exclusion zone around the suburb. Workers and traffic were not permitted back into the area for about three hours. Traffic on the Monaro Highway and Canberrra Avenue was severely affected. The fire was one of three to hit Canberra yesterday as the mercury reached 38.9 degrees, equal to the city's hottest November day on record.