Tire fire

Tire fires, where tires are stored, dumped or processed, exist in two forms: as fast-burning events, leading to almost immediate loss of control, and as slow-burning pyrolysis which can continue for over a decade. They are noted for being difficult to extinguish. Such fires produce a lot of smoke, which often carries toxic chemicals from the breakdown of rubber compounds while burning. A single tire contains about the equivalent of 7.5 liters (two U.S. gallons) of oil.^{[citation needed]}

Tires are typically not prone to self-ignition as a tire must be heated to at least 400 °C for a period of several minutes prior to ignition. Therefore, tire fires are normally the result of arson or improper manipulation with open fire. However, it is possible for tires to spontaneously combust,^{[citation needed]} especially in the case of shredded tires or tire "crumbs". This is particularly the case where the material is stored greater than 3 meters (10 ft) in depth, but laboratory experiments have shown spontaneous combustion occurring in piles as shallow as 1 m (3.3 ft) in depth.^{[citation needed]}

Extinguishing tire fires is difficult. The fire releases a dark, thick smoke that contains carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and products of butadiene and styrene. A specific danger is posed by dripping hot fluids (which may cause burns) and valves shooting from the fire under pressure. Burning tires are heated and as they have a low thermal conductivity, they are difficult to cool down. Moreover, they frequently burn inside even if they are extinguished from outside, and easily reignite when hot. One possibility is to cover the fire with soil, reducing the supply of oxygen and exhaust of the thick dark toxic smoke. After extinguishing and cooling down (which may last several days), the site must be surveyed and toxic chemicals neutralized.

Notable tire fires

Some notable tire fires include:

• 1983 – Seven million tires burn in Winchester, Virginia for nine months, polluting nearby areas with lead and arsenic. The location was cleaned up as a Superfund project from 1983 to 2002.
• 1984 – A pile estimated at four million tires, known locally as Mount Firestone, ignited in Everett, Washington and burned for months as the fire department was unable to extinguish it.
• 1989 – In Heyope (near Knighton, Powys, Wales) a fire involved approximately 10 million tires burnt for at least 15 years.
• 1990 – In Hagersville, Ontario, a fire started in a 12 to 14 million tire pile. It burned for 17 days and nearly forced 4,000 people to evacuate.
• 1998 – A grass fire ignited the 7 million tires at the unlicensed S.F. Royster Tire Disposal Facility in Tracy, California. It was extinguished, after 26 months, with water and foam in December, 2000.
• 1999 – On August 21, arsonists ignited the former Kirby Tire Recycling facility, containing an estimate 25 million tires located on 110 acres (0.45 km²) near Sycamore, Ohio. The fire burned for 30 hours, involved over 250 firefighters, the Ohio National Guard and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and caused significant environmental damage. The fire was controlled and finally extinguished in part by covering it with dirt. In the intervening years the EPA has performed a massive clean up effort on the site.
• 1999 – Lightning struck a tire dump in Westley, California, which burned for 30 days. Pyrolitic oil flowed into a nearby stream and also ignited.

See also

• Tire recycling

External links

• A Border Stories profile of a tire dump in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Tire Fires
• UK Health and Safety Executive - Spontaneous Tire Ignition
• EPA Case Study Report on Kirby Tire Fire