PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — R.I. Attorney General Peter Neronha says he's seeking to shut down the Providence scrap metal yard where a massive fire erupted Wednesday for the second time this year, Target 12 has confirmed.

The announcement comes in the wake of an emergency hearing R.I. Superior Court Judge Brian Stern held Wednesday after dozens of firefighters responded to Rhode Island Recycled Metals for a fire that jammed up traffic and engulfed the Providence skyline with smoke.

At the hearing, Recycled Metals attorneys agreed to close the company until a full hearing is held at 11 a.m. on Friday. Neronha said he now plans to argue the company should be shut down on an emergency basis and put into receivership, a state-level equivalent of federal bankruptcy.

"Today’s fire at their facility is yet another example of RIRM’s inability to safely operate," Neronha said in a statement.

The hearing is tied to an ongoing case that began in 2015, when state regulators accused the company of failing to comply with environmental laws. A special master was appointed and the case has been winding its way through the courts ever since.

Neronha argued Wednesday the special master strategy isn't working and it's time for the court to change course.

"It has now become more than evident that the monitoring and oversight provided by the special mastership is not enough -- our office will continue to argue that to adequately protect the public, the full operational control of a receivership is required," he said.

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Recycled Metals spokesperson Patrick Sweeney said the company is currently working with the Providence Fire Department to learn the cause and origin of the fire. He also said the company expects air-quality testing and site inspections "will show that there was no meaningful impact to the environment similarly to the event of April 11, 2024."

In April, firefighters responded to a similar fire at Recycled Metals. Sweeney reiterated the company continues to suspect arson caused the first fire. Providence fire officials so far have said the cause is undetermined. He also said the company fully expects to open next week.

"While our practices and procedures already exceed industry standards, we will look to modify and strengthen RIRM’s best practices," Sweeney added. "We plan to reopen on Monday after the clean-up and collaboration with city and state officials. RIRM thanks Providence’s first responders who were quickly on scene and swiftly took care of the incident."

In addition to the 2015 case, Recycled Metals has been at odds with Providence officials on multiple fronts in recent months.

City officials have argued Recycled Metals has been ignoring a cease-and-desist order they sent in March, alleging the company has been unlawfully operating without a proper license. Recycled Metals has rejected the argument, saying they don't need that type of license for its operations.

The city dispute also ended up in court. A hearing in that matter is scheduled for next month.